LIBRARY 


THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 
JEAN  STORKE  MENZIES 


THE  LITTLE  CORNER 
NEVER  CONQUERED 

The  Story  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
War  Work  for  Belgium 


•The 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

NEW  YORK    •    BOSTON    •    CHICAGO    •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA    •    SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO..  Limited 

LONDON    •    BOMBAY    •    CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


fill IT'^ 


M 

O 

3 

U 

u 

P9 

&■ 

4-J 

■M 

CS 

§ 

<n 

E 

tH 

u 

d) 

o 

a 

a 

C/l 

3 

t« 

o 

O 

u 

CJ 

^' 

•o 

C 
^ 

a; 

o 

« 


o 

T3 


tTHE  LITTLE  CORNER 
NEVER  CONQUERED 

The  Story  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
War  Work  for  Belgium 


By 

John  van  Schaick,  Jr. 

Formerly  Lieutenant  Colonel  U.  S.  Army  (Assimilated  Rank) 
Formerly  Commissioner  to  Belgium 
A.  R.  C. 


N^m  fork 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

1922 

All  rights  reserved 

LA  ,  ^"^ 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


Copyright,   1922, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  printed.     Published  May,  1922. 


fe:rri3  printing  company 

NEW  YORK 


I  dedicate  this  book  to  my  wife, 
who  went  with  me  to  Europe  in 
1915  for  work  with  the  Rocke- 
feller Foundation  War  Relief 
Commission  and  again  in  1917 
for  work  with  the  American 
Red  Cross. 


PREFACE 

Before  I  left  Brussels  in  April,  1919,  I  agreed  to  write 
the  story  of  the  American  Red  Cross  work  for  Belgium. 

Other  things  prevented  until  March,  1921,  when  I  got 
at  it. 

The  lapse  of  time  has  been  fortunate,  as  I  am  convinced 
that  we  are  past  the  period  when  "people  do  not  want  to 
hear  anything  more  about  the  war." 

Tliere  are  some  indications  of  the  beginning  of  a  period 
bound  to  come  when  every  detail  of  that  stupendous 
struggle  will  be  read  with  a  deepening  interest  and  a 
truer  perspective. 

The  Commission  for  Belgium  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  was  small  in  comparison  with  many  other  Red  Cross 
Commissions.  It  operated  on  somewhat  different  lines. 
It  handled  less  than  five  million  of  the  four  hundred 
million  dollars  raised  by  the  American  people  through 
the  American  Red  Cross  for  Avar  relief. 

But  this  Commission  was  set  down  in  one  of  the  most 
dramatic  and  picturesque  sections  of  Europe,  where  a  brave 
people  and  a  heroic  King  made  a  last  stand  to  save  their 
country,  and  where  powerful  armies  of  England  and  rep- 
resentative divisions  of  France  and  the  United  States 
fought  through  to  a  glorious  end. 

This  book  tells  something  of  the  story  of  war  in  Flanders, 
of  life  in  that  part  of  France  which  supported  Flanders, 
and  of  the  work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  helping 
Belgian  hospitals,  cheering  Belgian  soldiers,  saving  Bel- 
gian children,  and  lifting  the  load  of  misery  which  settled 
down  on  both  refugees  and  those  who  refused  to  fly. 

I  am  putting  the  foreign  agencies  we  used  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  story,  because  the  policy  of  our  Commissioner 


PREFACE 

was  to  "put  responsibilit}'^  squarely  up  to  the  Belgians  for 
their  own  job,  and  to  hold  ourselves  to  guiding,  cheering 
and  helping  with  the  resources  of  the  United  States." 

N^o  ordinary  words  are  adequate  to  express  the  deep 
respect  and  abiding  admiration  which  I  feel  for  the 
American  men  and  women  who  worked  with  our  British, 
French  and  Belgian  colleagues  in  these  great  tasks. 

The  Americans  showed  courage,  skill  and  sense.  They 
promoted  understanding  and  good  will  between  different 
nations   and  races. 

Because  the  toil  was  mainly  their  toil  and  the  leader- 
ship mainly  that  of  our  first  Commissioner,  I  feel  free 
to  say  frankly  that  the  work  was  work  in  which  the  Ameri- 
can people  will  take  increasing  pride  as  they  find  out  more 
about  it,  and  that  it  will  stand  the  test  of  the  most  rigid 
investigation. 

In  the  Library  of  Congress  and  the  National  Head- 
quarters of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  Washington,  I 
have  found  constant  help,  without  which  I  could  not  have 
done  this  work.  Especially  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  George 
B.  Chadwick  and  to  Mrs.  M.  S.  Fergusson,  of  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross,  for  valuable  suggestions. 

John  van  Schaick,  Jr. 
Washington,   D.    C, 
July  17,  1921. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 
Red  Cross  Officers  at  Bruges     ....        Frontispiece 

Facing 
Page 

The    King    and    Queen    of    tlic    Belgians    with    Prince 
Leopold  at   Red  Cross   Headquarters,  Washington, 

October  29,  1919 38 

Dr.  Antoine  Depage 62 

Col.  Ernest  P.  Bicknell 62 

Refugee  Mothers  Who  Made  ^lunitions  ....  94 
Madame  Rolin  Hymans  Coming  Out  of  the  Abri  .  .112 
A  Belgian  Munition  Worker  at  Le  Havre  .  .  .  .142 
In  the  American  Red  Cross  Creche  for  Belgian  Babies  at 

Graville,  France 180 

In  a  Home  for  War  Orphans  in  Brussels  ....      224 


CONTENTS 

Chapter 

I  The  First  Commission  to  Europe 

II  The  Government  at  Le  Havre 

III  The  Battle  of  the  Yser 

IV  "The  Little  Corner  Never  Conquered 

V  The  Spectacle  of  War  in  Flanders 

VI  The  King  and  the  Queen 

VII  The  Headquarters  Organization 

VIII  Getting  Started  in  Flanders 

IX  The  Hospital  of  the  Queen 

X  Belgian  Red  Cross  Activities 

XI  Belgian  Army  Hospitals 

XII  The  Refugee  Problem 

XIII  Refugees  in  Flight 

XIV  Refugees  in  Exile 

XV  The  Children's  Colonies 

XVI  Stories  about  Children 

XVII  The  Children's  Own  Stories 

XVIII  The  Works  of  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen 

XIX  For  Those  Who  Held  the  Line 

XX  What  Civil  Hospitals  Did 

XXI  Quaker  Foundations  for  Our  W^ork 

XXII  Quakers  in  Action  at  the  Front 

XXIII  Dr.  Park's  Great  Experiment 

XXIV  Against  Tuberculosis 

XXV  For  the  Mutiles 

XXVI  Some  Great  Days  Toward  the  End 

XXVII  The  King  Comes  Home 

XXVIII  With  Those  Who  Stayed  under  the 

Germans 

XXIX  The  Reopening  of  the  Universities 

XXX  Cardinal  Mercier 

XXXI  A  Great  Ambassador 

XXXII  The  Americans  Come  to  Flanders 

XXXIII  Closing  Up 

Appendix     .     .     . 


Page 
1 

16 

23 

29 

34 

38 

46 

54 

62 

69 

77 

81 

85 

93 

102 

113 

124 

135 

140 

151 

157 

165 

177 

184 

192 

199 

211 

217 

228 
232 
235 
241 
246 
249 


THE  LITTLE  CORNER 
NEVER  CONQUERED 

The  Story  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
War  Work  for  Belgium 


THE   LITTLE    CORNER   NEVER 
CONQUERED 

CHAPTER  I 

The  First  Commission  to  Europe 

WITH  the  approval  of  the  United  States  Government, 
the  War  Council  of  the  American  Red  Cross  sent 
a  Commission  to  Europe  in  June,  19  lY. 

The  head  of  the  Commission  was  Grayson  M.  P. 
Murphy,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  and  a  successful  ISTew 
York  banker,  who  had  shortly  before  been  commissioned  as 
Major  in  the  United  States  Reserve  Corps  and  placed  on 
General  Pershing's  staff.  He  had  a  record  for  getting 
things  done  quicldy  in  the  business  world  and  for  making 
men  like  him.  In  war  time  there  is  need  of  getting  things 
done  quickly  in  the  relief  field,  and  of  making  men  pull 
together.  The  choice  of  Major  Murphy,  therefore,  was 
a  happy  one. 

For  the  beginning  of  the  Commission  to  Belgium,  we 
must  go  back  to  the  S.  S.  La  Touraine  of  the  Compagnie 
Generale  Transatlantique  on  which  the  Commission  sailed 
June  2,  1917.  On  board  the  project  of  relief  work  in 
Belgium  was  talked  over  and  plans  were  made. 

The  War  Council  had  defined  a  great  task  and  then 
sent  a  Commission  untrammeled  by  specific  directions. 
"We  are  now  in  the  war,"  they  had  said  in  substance. 
"It  will  be  a  year  at  least  before  the  Government  can 
strike  a  blow  which  will  count  in  a  military  way.  Mean- 
while, in  every  other  way  possible,  it  is  necessary  for  us  to 
cheer  our  Allies,  help  their  armies  and  civilian  populations. 

1 


2     THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

aud  prevent  au  adverse  decision  before  we  get  tliere  in 
force.  The  job  of  the  American  Red  Cross  is  to  get  to 
Europe  as  fast  as  possible,  establish  relations  with  every 
Allied  government,  express  American  sympathy  and  good 
will,  help  lift  the  burden  of  war  misery  and,  by  sympathy 
and  help,  keep  up  morale." 

The  subsequent  history  of  the  Allies  and  Von  Luden- 
dorff's  Memoirs  furnish  eloquent  testimony  as  to  the 
decisive  part  played  by  morale. 

The  conferences  on  shipboard  made  us  acquainted  with 
one  another  and  with  what  we  had  in  hand.  Among 
those  who  sailed  with  us,  not  yet  of  our  party,  was  the 
late  beloved  Ralph  Preston.  He  had  been  in  Paris  since 
the  outbreak  of  the  war,  had  helped  organize  the  American 
Relief  Clearing  House  for  French  and  Belgians,  and 
now  was  quietly  but  effectively  working  to  have  the 
American  Red  Cross  start  by  taking  over  the  offices,  staff 
and  good  will  of  this  organization. 

There  were  also  Leeds  and  Scattergood,  American 
Friends,  destined  to  organize  one  of  the  most  useful  units 
affiliated  with  us  in  war  relief  work. 

Among  the  members  of  our  Commission  was  Ernest  P. 
Bicknell,  former  National  Director  of  the  American  Red 
Cross,  who  had  been  abroad  the  first  year  of  the  war  as 
Director  of  the  Rockefeller  Foundation  War  Relief  Com- 
mission. In  one  of  the  conferences  on  shipboard,  Mr. 
Bicknell  described  his  experiences  with  this  Commission 
in  1914  and  1915,  when  he  had  visited  England,  Flolland, 
Germany,  Austria,  Serbia,  Bulgaria,  Roumania,  Switzer- 
land, France,  Italy  and  Belgium.  He  said  that  the  first 
step  taken  by  the  American  Red  Cross  in  a  disaster  in  any 
American  city  was  to  get  into  touch  with  the  local  authori- 
ties. Mayor  and  Common  Council,  and  the  local  relief 
agencies,  and  to  cooperate  with  them,  so  that  in  every 
disaster  the  relief  agencies  might  be  united.  He  said  that 
the  same  principle  underlay  all  successful  relief  work  any- 
where, and  that  our  policy  should  be  to  work  with  gov- 


THE  FIRST  COMMISSION  TO  EUROPE  3 

ernments  of  the  respective  countries  aud  to  use  existing 
relief  agencies  where  we  could. 

Another  thing  Bicknell  said  to  us  as  we  walked  the  deck 
put  the  whole  project  in  a  nutshell : 

"Every  relief  job  has  three  sides.  If  you  fail  in  any  of 
them  your  whole  job  will  be  a  failure:  (1)  Purchase  of 
supplies,  (2)  Transportation,  and  (3)  Distribution." 

In  other  words,  "You  have  to  get  your  wheat,  carry  it, 
and  distribute  it." 

"Each  one  of  these  phases  of  the  job  calls  for  an  organi- 
zation highly  specialized.  For  the  first  you  need  people 
who  can  raise  money,  and  go  into  the  markets  and  spend  it 
wisely.  For  the  second  you  need  trained  transportation 
men  and  the  cooperation  of  armies  and  governments.  For 
the  third  you  need  men  of  unusual  balance,  speed,  cour- 
age and  tact  to  help  people  without  harming  and  without 
olf  ending." 

Every  day  Major  Murphy  said  either  to  a  group  or  to 
individual  members  of  the  party:  "We  are  relief  forces 
and  not  combat  forces,  but  the  first  duty  of  the  American 
Red  Cross  is  to  help  win  the  war.  We  have  to  remember 
that  these  people  over  there  are  very  tired  and  very  sensi- 
tive. I  want  you  to  pocket  your  pride  and  not  get  into 
arguments, 

"If  a  Red  Cross  man  is  high  and  mighty  with  a  single 
hotel  waiter,  he  will  hurt  the  whole  Red  Cross. 

"Remember  that  these  people  who  have  been  doing 
relief  work  in  Europe  since  the  beginning  of  the  war 
know  a  lot  more  about  it  than  we  do.  Play  the  game 
with  them. 

"Any  man  who  can't  handle  himself  in  French  in  three 
months  enough  to  do  business  will  be  considered  an  un- 
desirable member  of  this  party. 

"Any  man  who  tries  to  pull  off  star  plays  at  the  expense 
of  team  work  will  soon  draw  his  release. 

"I  don't  know  a  thing  about  it.  I've  got  to  depend  on 
you  fellows  to  put  it  over." 


4     THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

The  members  of  the  party  in  addition  to  those  men- 
tioned were  as  follows:  James  H.  Perkins,  afterward 
Commissioner  to  France  and  Commissioner  to  Europe; 
William  Endicott,  afterward  Commissioner  to  Great 
Britain;  Reverend  Robert  Davis,  long  afterward  Com- 
missioner to  Austria ;  John  van  Schaick,  Jr.,  afterward 
Commissioner  to  Belgium;  Carl  Taylor,  afterward  Com- 
missioner to  various  countries;  Reverend  E.  D.  Miel;  C.  G. 
Osborne ;  R.  J.  Daly ;  A.  W'.  Copp ;  Thomas  H.  Kenny ; 
Paul  Rainey;  Frederick  Hoppin;  Frederick  Hoffman; 
Ernest  McCullough;  F.  R.  King;  and  Philip  Goodwin. 

Mrs.  John  van  Schaick,  Jr.,  was  permitted  to  go  on 
condition  that  it  should  not  be  official,  but  once  on  ship- 
board, Major  Murphy  saw  that  her  knowledge  of  French 
and  long  experience  abroad  would  be  of  value,  and  set  her 
to  work  at  once. 

So  we  went  to  Europe,  with  gymnastics  every  morning, 
French  classes  all  over  the  ship,  and  hourly  conferences 
about  the  big  job  ahead  of  us. 

We  learned  for  the  first  time  by  wireless  that  General 
Pershing  was  en  route  at  the  same  time,  headed  for 
England,  and  heard  that  we  were  to  be  militarized  and 
made  a  part  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces. 

Bicknell  and  I  were  given  the  Department  of  Social 
and  Economic  Conditions,  he  of  course  as  chief  and  I  as 
assistant  chief.     We  were  set  to  work  to  study  and  plan. 

We  went  down  along  the  Marne  and  saw  the  relief  and 
reconstruction  work  of  the  English  Quakers  "War  Vic- 
tims Relief  Committee." 

A  number  of  times  we  went  up  into  the  Somme  and 
Aisne  around  l^Toyon,  Ham,  ISTesle  and  Roye,  and  studied 
the  section  which  had  been  evacuated  by  the  Germans  the 
preceding  March,  and  which  the  Germans  called  the  evac- 
uated region,  the  French  the  reconquered  region,  and  the 
Americans  the  devastated  region. 

We  saw  towns  near  the  old  trenches,  unavoidably  de- 
stroyed by  shell  fire,   and   places  like   Chauny  knocked 


THE  FIRST  COMMISSION  TO  EUROPE  5 

down  deliberately  by  the  Germans  with  the  battering  ram, 
or  explosives  on  the  eve  of  their  retirement. 

We  went  up  into  the  British  Zone  to  Calais,  Boulogne, 
St.  Omer,  Amiens,  Peronne,  Bapaume  and  Bray. 

We  motored  to  Le  Havre  to  visit  the  Belgian  Govern- 
ment and  to  La  Panne  to  visit  the  Belgian  front. 

With  all  the  destruction,  we  saw  something  of  the  relief 
work  undertaken  by  the  French  and  Belgian  Govern- 
ments, and  of  innumerable  private  committees.  There 
were  English  committees  for  the  French,  for  the  Bel- 
gians, and  for  the  French  and  Belgians  combined.  There 
were  French  committees  working  simply  for  the  French, 
and  Belgian  committees  working  for  the  Belgians,  and 
committees  of  both  working  for  both.  There  were  also 
many  American  organizations  and  many  Americans  asso- 
ciated with  French  organizations. 

We  discovered,  of  course,  rivalry  between  different 
organizations  and  something  of  a  frantic  desire  on  the 
part  of  French  military  officials  to  get  some  of  these  relief 
people  off  their  backs. 

We  were,  however,  cordially  welcomed  as  representa- 
tives of  the  American  Red  Cross,  and  again  and  again 
asked  to  help  promote  cooperation  among  the  many  indi- 
viduals and  committees  at  work  and  anxious  to  work. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  Paris  office  of  the  American  Red 
Cross,  C.  G.  Osborne,  of  Chicago,  had  organized  trans- 
portation; Carl  Taylor,  buying;  and  Smith,  of  the  Paris 
Branch  of  the  Guaranty  Trust  Company,  accounting. 
These  three  departments,  from  the  very  beginning,  were 
given  to  understand  that  they  were  not  only  to  serve 
France  but  every  other  allied  country  as  they  had  op- 
portunity. 

In  these  early  days  the  entire  Commission  could  meet 
in  one  room,  and  everybody  helped  and  advised  everybody 
else. 

Every  ship  coming  into  Bordeaux  brought  new  arrivals 
for  the  Red  Cross  work.    Of  those  coming  that  first  sum- 


6     THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

mer,  Homer  Folks  and  Livingston  Farrand  were  to  play 
very  important  parts  in  European  relief.  Mr.  Folks  took 
over  Civil  Affairs  of  the  Commission  for  France,  and  Dr. 
Farrand  organized  the  Commission  for  the  Prevention  of 
Tuberculosis  in  France,  of  the  Rockefeller  Foundation. 

Dr.  Farrand,  however,  from  the  beginning  was  a  co- 
operating force  in  all  the  affairs  of  the  Red  Cross.  He 
took  offices  with  us  and  gave  up  Folks,  who  had  come  for 
Tuberculosis  work  with  him,  to  our  organization. 

For  organizing  ability  and  all  that  makes  great  execu- 
tives in  the  field  of  relief,  Folks  and  Farrand  made  rec- 
ords unsurpassed. 

The  American  Relief  Clearing  House,  whose  work 
we  had  taken  over,  had  for  some  time  sent  supplies  of 
food  and  clothing  to  individuals  and  committees  dealing 
with  Belgian  refugees,  and  medical  supplies  to  Belgian 
hospitals. 

As  we  went  on  with  our  study  in  France,  the  Belgian 
problem  began  to  emerge  as  a  separate  thing.  Mr.  Bick- 
nell  and  I  were  somewhat  familiar  with  the  Belgian  situa- 
tion on  the  other  side  of  the  fighting  lines.  Over  that  im- 
passable barrier  lay  the  greater  part  of  the  little  country 
and  by  far  the  greater  number  of  the  people.  Both  of  us 
had  cooperated  more  or  less  the  first  two  years  of  the  war 
in  the  work  of  Herbert  Hoover,  head  of  the  Commission 
for  Relief  in  Belgium.  We  knew  Occupied  Belgium 
with  its  seven  and  a  half  millions  of  people;  its  German 
guards  at  every  turn;  its  masses  of  German  troops  in 
garrison  and  on  the  march ;  and  its  Comite  National, 
made  up  of  the  best  blood  of  little  Belgium,  w^orking  in  the 
last  and  least  little  hamlet  to  feed  and  clothe  the  people. 
For  us  now.  Occupied  Belgium  was  something  like  Ger- 
many itself,  shut  in  by  an  iron  wall  and  known  only 
vaguely  through  rumor,  surmise,  the  isolated  experiences 
of  people  who  escaped,  or  the  rare  visits  of  Belgians  who 
came  out  on  mission. 

But  on  our  journeys  that  summer  we  discovered  an- 


THE  FIRST  COMMISSION  TO  EUROPE  7 

other  Belgium,  "Belgique  Libre,"  standing  in  mighty 
contrast  to  "Belgique  Occwpee."  It  was  made  up  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  Belgian  refugees  in  France; 
one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  in  England ;  thirty  thou- 
sand in  Switzerland;  eighty  thousand  in  Holland;  the 
Belgian  Civil  Government,  which  had  been  given  asylum 
by  the  French  at  Ste.  Adresse,  Le  Havre  (Seine 
Inferieure)  ;  the  King  and  Queen  at  La  Panne;  and  the 
Belgian  Army  in  their  trenches  on  the  Yser. 

Installed  in  the  Red  Cross  offices  in  Paris  that  first 
summer  was  a  very  intelligent  old  French  gentleman,  the 
Count  de  ]\Ioreuil,  a  friend  of  H.  O.  Beatty,  Director 
General  of  the  American  Red  Cross  at  that  time,  who 
tried,  kindly  and  tactfully,  to  guide  our  first  steps  in  a 
new  country.  Under  date  of  August  9,  he  dictated  a 
memorandum  for  the  Department  of  Social  and  Economic 
Conditions,  calling  attention  to  the  colonies  of  Belgian 
children  in  the  Seine  Inferieure,  stating  that  on  account 
of  recent  military  operations  in  Flanders  many  hundred 
new  evacues  had  been  received,  and  that  thousands  more 
might  come.  He  said  that  we  should  make  ourselves  fa- 
miliar with  the  situation. 

Immediately,  Mr.  Bicknell  made  arrangements  to  go  to 
visit  M.  Berryer,  the  Belgian  Minister  of  the  Interior  at 
Le  Havre,  and  to  study  this  situation  at  first  hand.  He 
knew  what  the  rest  of  us  discovered,  that  the  way  to  get 
a,  clear  vision  was  to  go  and  see  in  person.  ]S[o  matter 
what  imagination  a  man  has,  in  the  midst  of  a  great  w^ar, 
the  responsible  executive  authorities  must  be  field  men  at 
least  part  of  the  time,  if  their  judgment  is  to  count  for 
anything. 

Mr.  Bicknell,  however,  was  held  in  Paris  by  other 
work  and  sent  me  on  this  first  Belgian  visit.  I  took  with 
me  Edward  Eyre  Hunt,  for  a  long  time  of  the  Commis- 
sion for  Relief  in  Belgium,  who  had  just  come  for  work 
abroad  with  the  Red  Cross. 

Out  of  Paris  by  the  long  Champs  Elysees  past  St.  Ger- 


8     THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

main  en  Laye,  then  down  tlie  lovely  winding  valley  of 
the  Seine,  a  fast  automobile  reaches  Ronen,  seventy-five 
miles  away,  in  between  two  and  three  hours,  and  the 
great  port,  Le  Havre,  fifty  miles  farther  on,  in  two 
hours  more. 

But  before  Rouen  is  reached,  there  must  be  crossed  the 
boundaries  of  ancient  l^ormandy,  part  of  which  is  in  the 
modern  French  department,  the  Seine  Inferieure.  Here 
we  found  hundreds  of  Belgian  children  taken  from  the 
front  by  the  Belgian  Government.  Three  thousand  we 
found  had  been  put  in  colonies  of  from  fifty  to  two  hun- 
dred around  Paris,  and  three  thousand  more  in  the  Seine 
Inferieure  and  up  along  the  coast  between  Le  Havre 
and  Calais. 

At  Yvetot,  half  way  between  Le  Havre  and  Rouen,  the 
Belgian  Government  had  stationed  a  Commissioner,  Mr. 
Olbrecht,  in  general  charge.  On  Sunday,  August  12, 
he  took  us  to  visit  the  colonies  at  Yvetot,  Caudebec,  Saus- 
say.  Malaise  and  Ouville  I'Abbaye.  The  children  were 
all  well  clothed,  apparently  well  nourished  and  were  cared 
for  by  nuns  of  different  religious  orders,  with  a  priest 
here  and  there  as  a  teacher  or  chaplain  for  a  group  of 
colonies.  We  discovered  that  they  had  their  hard  prob- 
lems, one  of  which  was  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  milk  for 
younger  children.  Cows  were  selling  around  nine  hun- 
dred francs  and  before  a  year,  got  up  to  fifteen  and  sixteen 
hundred  francs. 

Another  serious  thing  was  lack  of  clothing  and  cloth 
for  clothing.  At  St.  Hlery,  Olbrecht  said  they  were  trying 
to  teach  boys  the  fundamental  principles  of  agriculture, 
gardening  and  care  of  stock.  They  needed  chickens,  cows, 
sheep,  pigs  and  four  draft  horses.  They  wanted  to  raise 
for  themselves  what  thev  ate  and  to  furnish  other  colonies. 

The  food  situation  in  general  was  better  in  the  Seine 
Inferieure  than  around  Paris  and  in  less  fertile  parts  of 
France.  It  was  a  country  of  orchards  and  grain  fields,  of 
gardens  and  pastures.    We  saw  many  French  departments 


THE  FIRST  COMMISSION  TO  EUROPE  9 

in  the  ensuing  months  "but  nowhere  did  the  country  people 
bring  in  as  much  garden  stuff  as  here.  But  here,  as 
everywhere  in  the  world,  in  peace  or  war,  equalizing  of 
supply  depended  upon  transport,  and  transport  was  stag- 
gering under  the  burden  of  war. 

These  colonies  were  supported  in  two  ways : 

(1)  By  grant  of  the  French  Government; 

(2)  By  funds  of  the  Belgian  Minister  of  the  Interior. 
The  grant  of  the  French  Government  was  a  grant  made  to 
all  refugees  driven  from  their  homes  by  the  movement  of 
armies.  It  consisted  of  francs,  1.25  per  day  for  adults 
and  50  centimes  for  children.  With  characteristic  gen- 
erosity the  French  Government  extended  the  benefit  of  the 
law  to  Belgians  on  the  same  terms  as  to  their  own  people. 

The  funds  of  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  were  not 
funds  of  the  government  but  funds  contributed  by  relief 
committees  all  over  the  world,  but  principally  in  Eng- 
land, for  use  of  Belgian  refugees. 

That  first  Sunday  of  the  distinctively  Belgian  work,  we 
got  into  touch  by  long  distance  telephone  with  this  Min- 
ister, M.  Berryer,  and  arranged  to  meet  him  at  the  tem- 
porary Belgian  capitol,  Ste.  Adresse,  Le  Havre. 

We  met  three  people  at  Le  Havre  on  this  first  trip 
destined  to  be  closely  associated  with  our  work:  M. 
Berryer,  Brand  Whitlock  and  Madame  Henry  Carton  de 
Wiart.  M.  Berryer,  a  lawyer  of  Liege,  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  party,  a  man  of  independent  means  and 
rather  broad  views.  He  told  us  that  he  needed  our  help, 
that  the  war  had  gone  on  and  his  funds  were  running 
down  and  he  must  not  get  entirely  without  money.  He 
said  the  Belgian  Government  was  living  on  borrowed 
money  and  he  could  not  turn  to  the  public  treasury;  that 
he  had  the  responsibility  for  all  the  refugees,  all  the  sick, 
infirm  old  people  whether  refugees  or  not,  and  all  the 
children  still  at  the  front  and  in  his  colonies.  He  told 
us  that  the  recent  attack  of  the  British  with  the  counter 
battery  work  of  the  Germans  had  forced  the  evacuation 


10  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

of  many  additional  children,  and  that  he  might  at  any 
time  have  all  the  people  left  in  Free  Belgium  as  refugees 
on  his  hands. 

With  Mr.  Brand  Whitlock  we  began  that  day  an  as- 
sociation which  lasted  all  through  the  war,  in  which  he 
placed  himself  and  all  his  experience  freely  at  our  serv- 
ice.   Of  this  great  American  we  shall  write  hereafter. 

Madame  Henry  Carton  de  Wiart,  wife  of  the  Belgian 
Minister  of  Justice,  had  just  been  released  from  a  German 
prison  and  sent  around  through  Switzerland  to  rejoin  her 
husband  at  Le  Havre.  In  a  beautiful  chateau  at  Harfleur, 
outside  Le  Havre,  under  huge  trees,  surrounded  by  lovely 
flowers,  with  happy  children,  she  talked  of  things  hard 
to  visualize  in  these  surroundings :  life  under  the  iron 
German  rule  in  Brussels,  the  spying  and  watching  and 
waiting ;  the  arrest,  the  trial  and  the  months  in  Germany. 
In  their  fiercest  moments  the  Germans  never  terrorized 
this  bright-faced,  keen-witted,  charming,  resourceful  lady. 
Both  she  and  Whitlock  told  us  we  were  needed  to  help  the 
Belgians. 

M.  Berryer  insisted,  after  a  brief  interview  with  us, 
that  we  go  to  the  front  and  see  for  ourselves.  He  got  the 
frontier  post  at  Ghyvelde,  two  hundred  miles  away,  on  the 
telephoiie,  and  arranged  for  us  to  pass  the  frontier  line 
between  France  and  Belgium  without  passes. 

With  little  time  at  our  disposal  we  pushed  off  late  in 
the  day  on  the  two-hundred-mile  trip  from  Le  Havre  to 
the  Belgian  front,  following  the  coast  up  through  Dieppe, 
Eu,  Abbeville,  Montreuil-sur-Mer,  Boulogne-sur-Mer, 
Calais  and  Dunkirk  to  La  Panne,  where  we  arrived  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  next  day.  In  my  diary  of  August 
fourteenth,  I  wrote : 

"It  is  always  a  significant  thing  to  pass  a  frontier,  but 
in  war  time  it  is  a  line  of  destiny  for  thousands.  It  was 
a  great  experience  today  to  cross  the  frontier  and  to  be 
tonight  on  the  water  front  surrounded  by  every  conceivable 
spectacle  of  war,  tens  of  thousands  of  English  troops,  and 


THE  FIRST  COMMISSION   TO  EUROPE         11 

to  realize  that  it  is  Belgium,  the  little  strip  ten  miles 
wide  and  thirty  miles  long,  to  which  Albert  and  his  troops 
have  clung — w^ith  the  German  lines  only  six  miles  away; 
Ostend,  where  we  used  to  cross  the  channel,  just  up  the 
coast ;  Looten  Ilulle,  where  we  used  to  visit  our  friends, 
the  Hulins,  only  thirty  miles  from  here,  but  under  the 
Germans." 

Our  business  w^as  to  study  the  half  destroyed  villages 
back  of  the  Belgian  and  British  Armies,  in  which  civilians 
were  still  living.  We  were  conducted  by  M.  Jean  Stey- 
aert,  destined  also  to  be  one  of  our  closest  associates  until 
the  end  of  the  war.  M.  Stevaert  was  Commissaire  d'Ar- 
rondissement  de  Furnes-Dixmude,  a  position  which  corre- 
sponds to  Sous-Prefet  in  France. 

Belgium  in  j^eace  time  is  divided  into  nine  provinces, 
each  of  which  has  a  Governor  appointed  by  the  Minister 
of  the  Interior.  Under  each  Governor  are  Commissaires, 
and  under  the  Commissaires,  burgomasters  of  towns  and 
cities.  All  that  was  left  of  Belgium  was  part  of  the 
province  of  West  Flanders,  under  Governor  Janssens  van 
Bisthoven.  Under  the  Governor  in  1917  were  M.  Stey- 
aret  and  M.  Biebuyck,  the  Commissaire  of  Ypres. 

On  August  fifteenth  I  forwarded  a  report  to  Red 
Cross  headquarters,  saying  in  substance  this : 

"La  Panne,  August  15,  1917. 

"I  arrived  here  last  night  from  Dunkirk  and  am  leaving 
for  Paris  late  today. 

"I  came  up  because  at  Le  Havre  the  Minister  of  the 
Interior  said  that  there  w^ere  fifty  thousand  people  who 
might  have  to  be  evacuated  at  once  and  because  he  was 
most  anxious  to  have  Bed  Cross  help. 

"I  have  seen  the  villages  where  conditions  are  especially 
dangerous  today,  Alveringhem,  Coxyde  and  Furnes,  with 
the  Commissaire  d' Arrondissement,  M.  Jean  Steyaert. 
In  all  three  places  there  are  left  five  thousand  civilians  of 
which  twelve  hundred  are  children.    Alveringhem  is  eight 


12  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

kilometers,  Coxyde  ten  kilometers  and  Furnes  ten  and  a 
half  kilometers  from  the  lines.  All  are  shelled  more  or 
less  and  all  exposed  to  gas  attack.  In  Alveringhem  the 
people  have  moved  out  on  the  dunes  as  it  is  considered 
safer. 

"In  Coxyde  they  live  in  the  village.  In  Furnes  they  go 
out  and  pass  the  nights  on  the  farms  around  about,  and 
also  in  little  shanties  they  have  erected. 

"If  La  Panne  should  have  to  be  evacuated  there  would 
be  four  or  five  thousand  people  to  be  evacuated  out  of  a 
total  civil  population  of  eleven  thousand.  The  others,  the 
C ommissaire  says,  would  not  go  unless  things  were  very 
bad,  and  then  they  would  go  by  themselves. 

"Here  is  an  important  thing.  The  babies  are  still  back 
of  the  lines.  ISTo  children  under  three  are  evacuated. 
They  take  them  now  from  three  to  fifteen  years  of  age. 
But  they  want  to  hire  another  farm,  put  up  some  barracks 
and  evacuate  fifty  babies  at  once. 

"As  for  work  in  the  rear  around  Le  Havre  and  Rouen, 
I  am  convinced  that  it  is  well  done. 

"It  is  under  Catholic  sisters.  In  fact  practically  all  the 
people  are  Catholics  and  the  sisters  are  a  fine  lot. 

"I  am  convinced  that  the  Minister  of  the  Interior 
handles  the  thing  well.  His  man  at  Yvetot  is  a  barrister 
and  very  able.  Madame  Henry  Carton  de  Wiart  repre- 
sents the  Minister  and  has  exceptional  ability  also.  The 
Sous-Prefet  (French)  at  Abbeville,  who  has  taken  charge 
at  Cayeux  and  ISTouveau  Brighton,  has  had  long  experience 
in  this  kind  of  work." 

On  August  17,  1917,  supplementing  this  report,  I  rec- 
ommended to  Mr.  Bicknell  that  we  help  start  a  baby  farm 
colony  near  the  front,  put  up  two  new  colonies  for  children 
farther  down  the  coast,  establish  a  warehouse  at  Dunkirk 
or  some  other  point  well  forward,  and  assemble  emergency 
supplies.  I  suggested  also  that  we  put  some  games  and 
toys  in  the  colonies  of  N^ormandy. 


THE  FIRST  COMMISSION  TO  EUROPE         13 

That  modest  request  for  toys  has  often  been  referred 
to  as  the  only  request  which  the  War  Council  in  Wash- 
ington refused  to  grant  the  Commission  to  Europe.  It 
was  believed  that  spending  money  for  toys  for  famine 
stricken  Europe  would  be  misunderstood  in  the  United 
States.  The  War  Council,  however,  suggested  another 
way  and  we  got  the  money  from  another  source. 

On  August  16,  Major  Murphy  went  to  La  Panne  to  see 
the  King  and  Queen  of  the  Belgians.  He  came  back  by 
Le  Havre  and  conferred  with  the  Ministers  of  the  Belgian 
Government. 

Major  Murphy  always  moved  with  great  speed.  Under 
date  of  August  6  I  had  set  down  in  my  diary  an  im- 
pression of  Major  Murphy  I  never  had  to  change : 

"The  wheels  are  turning  fast.  Murphy  is  putting  drive 
into  it.  I  am  more  cheered  about  the  way  the  thing  is 
going  than  I  have  been  at  any  time.  Some  of  our  unofficial 
advisors,  who,  in  themselves,  are  lovable  fellows,  take 
the  attitude,  'Oh,  that  is  very  dangerous.  We  must  be 
careful.  The  government  must  be  handled  right.  The 
French  nature  is  very  peculiar.'  Murphy's  attitude  is 
'Damn  the  torpedoes.    We  have  got  to  move.'  " 

On  August  20  he  directed  that  a  department  for  Bel- 
gium be  immediately  organized  with  Mr.  Bicknell  as 
chief  and  with  me  as  assistant  chief — that  we  make  our 
headquarters  at  Le  Havre,  and  cooperate  closely  with 
the  Belgian  Government.  He  said  emphatically  to  us: 
"I  do  not  want  you  to  attempt  to  build  up  great  specialized 
services  like  transportation,  accounting  and  purchase,  but 
depend  on  Paris.  We  are  getting  over  the  best  men  in 
the  United  States  to  run  these  departments  and  we  want 
to  put  them  at  the  service  of  the  Red  Cross  organizations 
throughout  Europe." 

Major  Murphy  said  later,  "I  organized  a  department 
for  Belgium  and  soon  turned  it  into  an  independent  Com- 
mission to  Belgium  for  three  reasons :  First,  I  thought  it 
a  better  way  to  do  business,  that  it  would  spur  up  the 


14  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

men  on  the  separate  commissions  and  give  them  more 
pride  in  their  work.  Second,  I  knew  that  it  would  please 
the  different  countries  to  have  Commissions  of  their  own 
and  not  deal  simply  with  Paris.  Third,  I  knew  that  de- 
centralization was  necessary  with  a  thing  as  big  as  our 
work." 

Three  days  after  our  appointment,  two  of  the  Belgian 
Ministers  appeared  upon  Major  Murphy's  invitation  for 
a  conference  with  us:  Vandevyvere,  Minister  of  Finance, 
and  Berry er,  Minister  of  the  Interior.  Vandevyvere 
spoke  almost  faultless  English.  He  had  been  several  times 
in  the  United  States  and  liked  Americans.  He  acted  in 
this  interview  as  interpreter  for  Berryer,  under  whose 
department  all  of  our  civil  work  for  Belgians  would  have 
to  be  done.  Only  three  things  were  accomplished  at  this 
first  interview,  but  they  were  vital.  One  was  the  begin- 
ning of  an  acquaintance  and  friendship  with  the  heads  of 
the  Belgian  Government.  The  second  was  an  agreement 
that  all  our  work  would  be  undertaken  with  the  knowledge 
of  the  government.  The  third  was  the  distinct  acceptance 
on  both  sides  of  the  principle  that  the  responsibility  for 
the  job  was  Belgian,  and  the  American  part,  one  of  as- 
sistance and  cooperation. 

In  the  few  remaining  days  in  Paris  we  talked  to  every- 
body who  knew  Belgium.  There  was  an  American,  Cap- 
tain Colby,  son  of  iVdmiral  Colby,  U.S.jST.,  who  had  come 
over  early  in  the  war  with  a  volunteer  ambulance  unit  for 
Belgium,  and  had  become  a  Captain  of  Artillery  in  the 
Belgian  Army.  "Watch  your  step,"  said  he,  "don't  get 
mixed  up  in  their  politics.  Work  as  much  as  you  can 
through  the  Queen." 

There  was  a  former  official  of  the  American  Relief 
Clearing  House,  who  had  helped  Belgium.  "Do  what  you 
can,"  said  he,  "for  Belgium.  Everybody  praised  them  in 
the  beginning.  Everybody  is  beginning  to  damn  them 
out  now  without  rhyme  or  reason.  It  is  not  their  fault 
that  they  can't  go  on  and  recapture  their  country.     There 


THE  FIRST  COMMISSION  TO  EUROPE         15 

never  was  a  region  more  terrible  for  soldiers  than  those 
lowlands  of  the  Yser.  See  what  has  just  happened  to  the 
British  at  Nieuport.  Nor  can  the  Belgians  help  it  if  the 
slum  people  of  x\ntwerp  make  a  bad  impression  as  refugees 
in  England.  When  all  is  said  and  done,  the  fact  remains 
that  they  died  by  the  thousands  to  stop  Germany.  They 
prevented  a  decision  in  her  favor  in  1914.  They  have 
fought  our  fight  ever  since." 

The.y  were  words  casually  spoken,  but  with  great 
earnestness;  and  we  found  them  words  of  discrimination 
and  truth. 

Paris  turned  over  to  us  one  clerk,  one  automobile  and 
one  chauffeur  in  the  last  week  of  August.  The  chauffeur 
did  not  propose  to  get  side-tracked  with  a  little  one-horse 
department,  and  struck.  He  flatly  refused  to  go  to  Le 
Havi-e.  Major  Alexander  Lambert  dealt  with  his  case 
for  the  transportation  department  and  sent  him  back  to 
!New  York.  Not  being  willing  to  wait  for  a  chauffeur,  I 
drove  the  car.  In  a  white  painted  Ford,  known  as  the 
Lambert  Ford,  with  Bicknell  and  the  baggage  in  the 
back  seat,  and  with  my  wife,  neAvly  appointed  as  inter- 
preter and  translator,  seated  beside  me,  the  department 
for  Belgium  left  Paris  on  Saturday,  September  1,  1917, 
at  exactly  two-twenty  P.  M.  with  the  cheers  of  some  of 
the  Red  Cross  pioneers  ringing  in  our  ears. 


CHAPTER  II 

Tlie  Government  at  Le  Havre 

COMING  from  Paris  by  Yvetot,  and  reacliing  tlie  top 
of  the  long  liill  above  Harfleur,  one  gets  a  glorious 
view  of  the  Seine,  the  port  of  Le  Havre,  and  of  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  beyond. 

A  yellow  dirigible  was  moving  gracefully  about  over 
the  water.  Two  hydroplanes  were  going  out  to  sea  and 
two  others  were  coming  in.  In  the  foreground  an  English 
camp  stretched  away  to  the  right  as  far  as  we  could  see. 
There  was  a  great  volume  of  shipping  in  the  harbor  and 
on  the  Seine.  That  much  we  could  be  sure  of  at  a  glance. 
The  blue  sea,  the  curving  coast  line,  a  bold  headland,  the 
miles  of  roofs  and  a  golden  sunlight  over  everything  made 
our  first  view  memorable. 

We  w^ent  through  Le  Havre  to  Ste.  Adresse,  the  tem- 
porary seat  of  the  Belgian  Government,  a  suburb  to  the 
northwest  of  the  town,  at  the  foot  of  the  headland  which 
guards  the  entrance  to  the  harbor.  Llere  Le  Havre  had 
tried  to  make  another  iSTice  without  the  sun  and  warmth 
of  the  Riviera,  and  had  named  it  jSTice-Havrais.  But 
Dufayel,  the  promoter,  had  succeeded  in  building  several 
hotels  and  many  villas,  and  one  huge  office  or  apartment 
building  on  the  steep  ground  sloping  back  from  the  har- 
bor. One  little  hotel  had  been  perched  high  up  on  the 
rocks  far  enough  around  so  that  it  overlooked  the  surf  of 
the  ocean  itself.  It  was  called  the  Hotellerie.  Here  the 
Belgian  Ministers  lived.  Another  larger  hotel  was  built 
at  the  water's  edge  and  named  the  Hotel  des  Begates  in 
honor  of  the  frequent  regattas  of  the  yacht  club.  Here 
the  Commission  to  Belgium  installed  itself. 

16 


THE  GOVERNMENT  AT  LE  HAVRE  17 

Before  any  man  or  society  can  do  effective  work  in  any 
field  he  must  know:  First,  what  is  to  be  done  in  that 
field,  and,  Second,  who  are  already  at  work.  The  great 
stupidity  often  of  relief  Vv^ork  is  duplication  or  competi- 
tion.   Our  first  great  task  therefore  was  to  get  acquainted. 

There  are  three  political  parties  in  Belgium — the  Cath- 
olic party,  called  the  Clerical  by  its  opponents,  the  Liberal, 
and  the  Socialist.  The  Catholic  party  is  the  party  of  the 
church.  The  Liberal  party  opposes  Catholic  control  in 
the  State,  especially  control  of  schools  and  government 
grants  to  religious  institutions.  It  also  opposes  the  Social- 
ists in  economic  matters  and  is  fully  as  much  the  party 
of  property  as  the  Catholic.  Some  Liberals  are  in  the 
Catholic  church  but  many  of  them  have  left  all  churches. 
A  few  are  Protestant  and  a  very  few  are  Jews.  The 
Socialists  are  against  both  other  parties  on  economic 
questions.  In  spite  of  Catholic  bitterness  toward  Social- 
ists, Socialists  curiously  enough  sometimes  feel  themselves 
more  in  sympathy  with  the  Catholic  attitude  of  interest 
in  the  masses  than  in  what  they  call  the  aristocratic  ten- 
dencies of  Liberals. 

When  the  war  broke  out,  the  Catholics  had  been  in  con- 
trol for  over  thirty  years.  The  King,  however,  summoned 
all  parties  to  the  service  of  the  country.  In  a  memorable 
session  of  Parliament  he  called  Vandervelde,  the  Socialist 
leader,  to  the  Cabinet,  and  Vandervelde,  amid  deafening 
cheers,  shouted,  "I  accept."  Soon  after.  Liberals  were 
also  called  in  and  the  Cabinet  became  "a  sacred  union  for 
the  war."  The  men  in  the  Cabinet  with  whom  we  came  to 
work  intimately  were  Berryer,  the  Minister  of  the  In- 
terior, a  Catholic;  Vandervelde,  Minister  of  Intendance, 
a  Socialist ;  and  General  De  Ceuninck,  Minister  of  War,  a 
Liberal. 

The  Belgian  Government  was  situated  at  Le  Havre,  two 
hundred  miles  from  the  front,  because  there  was  no  room 
for  them  any  nearer.  The  first  plan  had  been  to  give  them 
Abbeville,   a  hundred  miles  north,  but  the  British  had 


18  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

needed  Abbeville  as  a  forward  railroad  base.  Those  of 
us  who  saw  Abbeville  "straffed"  by  aviators  in  1918  and 
completely  evacuated,  were  glad  that  the  Belgian  Gov- 
ernment had  not  been  put  there.  Only  two  or  three  times 
was  Le  Havre  visited  by  the  German  aviators.  The  trou- 
ble at  Le  Havre  was  congestion.  The  French  city  of  ante 
bellum  times  had  some  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand 
people ;  Le  Havre  of  war  time  had  one  hundred  thousand 
more.  Practically  no  new  buildings  were  erected  during 
the  war.  There  were  twenty  thousand  Belgian  refugees  to 
be  crowded  in  somewhere.  In  addition,  the  port  had  been 
turned  over  to  the  British  as  a  base,  and  docks  and  ware- 
houses were  crowded  with  British  supplies.  Into  this  port 
there  poured  a  steady  line  of  British  troops  and  out  of  it 
a  steady  stream  of  British  wounded  "bound  for  Blighty." 
Here  also  in  1918,  as  at  Calais,  St.  !Nazaire  and  Bordeaux, 
the  Americans  landed.  French,  Belgian  and  British  hos- 
pitals found  room  where  they  could,  and  welfare  workers 
of  many  kinds  came  here  to  meet  the  troops  and  help  the 
wounded. 

Into  the  midst  of  these  important  French  and  British 
activities,  Belgian  organizations  were  set  down.  Out 
at  Graville  there  were  Belgian  munition  plants  employing 
fifteen  thousand  people.  Up  on  the  hill  above  Ste.  Adresse 
there  was  another  huge  plant  making  and  repairing  auto 
trucks  and  other  supplies.  Twenty  thousand  Belgian  sol- 
diers were  employed  here  and  three  thousand  worked  in 
the  government  departments. 

Only  one  department  stayed  at  the  front.  Against  the 
wishes  of  his  colleagues.  General  De  Ceuninck,  who  suc- 
ceeded Baron  de  Broqueville  as  Minister  of  War  in  1917, 
established  his  headquarters  in  an  old  chateau  just  outside 
of  Furnes,  some  six  miles  from  the  lines.  His  officers 
and  clerks  were  in  long  wooden  barracks  behind  the 
chateau.  He  was  a  brave  old  warrior  who  had  commanded 
a  division  and  he  could  not  bear  to  be  at  the  rear.  As  a 
result,  however,  of  this  insistence  on  living  in  the  danger 


THE  GOVERNMENT  AT  LE  HAVRE  19 

zone,  all  his  barracks  were  burned  by  German  shells  in 
1918  and  very  important  records  were  destroyed.  There 
are  always  malicious  people  to  criticize  those  who  work 
at  the  rear  in  war  time.  This  destruction  of  Belgian  war 
records  emphasized  the  importance  of  that  courage  which 
dares  stay  back  when  the  best  service  demands  it. 

Besides  Berryer  and  Vandervelde,  we  found  here  at 
Le  Havre,  the  Baron  de  Broqueville,  President  of  the 
Council  of  Ministers,  a  Catholic  and  a  man  of  great  per- 
sonal charm.  We  knew  him  as  the  Minister  who  had 
stood  up  in  the  Chamber  at  Brussels  at  the  beginning  of 
the  war,  and  in  a  speech  of  great  power  announced  the 
fateful  decision  of  the  government  to  oppose  the  passage 
of  German  troops.  We  met  also  Poullet,  Minister  of 
Science  and  Arts,  another  Catholic,  w^ho  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  in  the  reorganization 
after  the  armistice;  Hellejjutte,  Minister  of  Agriculture 
and  Public  Works,  very  firmly  Catholic  and  Flemish,  well 
versed  in  English,  a  man  of  very  genial  presence,  espe- 
cially kind  to  us,  but  who  was  disliked  above  his  party 
associates  by  Liberals  and  Socialists  for  his  unbending 
political  views. 

Paul  Hymans,  a  Protestant,  a  great  orator  and  interest- 
ing man,  was  the  leader  of  the  Liberal  party  in  this  Le 
Havre  Cabinet.  He  was  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 
We,  of  course,  had  little  to  do  with  him  officially.  His 
wife,  however,  a  cultured,  intelligent  and  generous  Jewess 
of  Brussels,  became  one  of  our  best  agents  and  partners. 
Their  home  on  the  Cote  was  a  charming  center  socially, 
Paul  Hymans  in  1920  became  the  first  President  of  the 
League  of  Nations. 

Count  Goblet  d'  Alviella,  another  Liberal,  was  Minis- 
tre  d'Etat  or  Minister — without  portfolio.  He  was  an 
elderly  man,  a  great  scholar  and  a  professor  of  compara- 
tive religions  in  the  University  of  Brussels.  He  was  the 
head  of  the  Free  Masons  of  Belgium  and  as  such  especially 
opposed  to  the  rule  of  Catholics.     Yet  Count  Goblet  and 


20  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

M.  Helleputte,  the  Catliolic,  were  tlie  two  Presidents  of 
the  Comite  Officiel  Beige  des  Refugies,  and  always  had 
courteous  relations.  We  quickly  came  into  friendly  asso- 
ciation with  the  Goblets;  the  young  Countess  Helene 
Goblet  we  soon  discovered  to  be  one  of  the  fairest  and 
finest  of  characters  and  one  of  the  most  devoted  of  workers 
for  her  country.  Her  service  to  the  British,  French, 
Belgian  and  American  armies  through  the  British  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  was  one  of  the  fine  spiritual  contributions  of  the  war. 

Jules  Renkin,  Minister  of  the  Colonies,  was  regarded 
as  a  very  able  leader  of  the  Catholic  party.  Earlier,  like 
Henry  Carton  de  Wiart,  he  had  been  called  a  Catholic- 
Democrat,  but  with  the  growth  of  democracy  in  the  world, 
the  party  caught  up  with  him  near  enough  to  insure  his 
good  standing  and  even  his  leadership. 

Madame  Renkin,  a  charming  lady,  was  at  the  head  of 
a  work  for  Belgian  soldiers  en  repos. 

Henry  Carton  de  Wiart  was  Minister  of  Justice  in  the 
government  at  Le  Havre,  retiring  from  the  Cabinet  upon 
the  return  to  Brussels,  to  become  Ambassador  to  Holland. 
Later  he  became  President  of  the  Council  of  Ministers,  or 
Prime  Minister.  Courtly,  polished,  an  orator,  a  writer 
of  distinction,  one  always  instinctively  wanted  to  call  him 
Count  or  Baron.*  His  wife  makes  a  strong  impression 
upon  Americans.  They  first  think  of  her  as  a  member 
of  the  American  Prison  Association,  a  subscriber  to  the 
Survey,  and  as  the  woman  who  introduced  the  Juvenile 
Court  into  Belgium.  Then  they  find  her  the  mother  of 
four  lovely  girls  whose  names  all  begin  with  "G" :  Ghis- 
laine,  Georgette,  Gudule,  Guillemette, — and  of  two  boys, 
the  older  a  veteran  of  the  World  War  while  still  in  his 
teens.  As  they  come  to  know  her  they  find  her  very 
devout,  her  religion  finding  expression  in  all  kinds  of 
charitable  activities.  In  Belgium,  when  Germans  were 
the  stranded  ones,  the  first  weeks  of  the  war,  she  worked 
for  Germans.  When  Belgium  went  under  the  German 
yoke,  she  stayed  and  took  up  the  burden  of  her  poor  coun- 
♦Recently   creat»d   Count. 


THE  GOVERNMENT  AT  LE  HAVRE  21 

trymen.  In  Le  Havre  she  was  at  the  head  of  the  Vestiaire 
of  the  American  Red  Cross  and  agent  of  the  Minister  of 
the  Interior  for  children's  colonies.  But  between  Brussels 
and  Le  Havre,  she  served  a  term  in  a  German  prison. 
She  passed  the  weary  months  of  confinement  in  translat- 
ing Whitlock's  "Forty  Years  of  It"  into  French.  Whit- 
lock,  in  his  "Belgium,"  has  told  the  dramatic  story  of 
her  battle  of  wit  and  will  with  the  Germans. 

In  those  early  days  of  getting  acquainted,  we  often 
turned  to  Brand  Whitlock  for  advice  and  sympathy.  To 
his  tea  table,  we  took  things  obscure,  and  learned  how 
much  diplomats  know  which  they  can't  publish.  Of  his 
help  and  friendship  we  shall  speak  hereafter. 

Vandevyvere,  Minister  of  Finance,  had  visited  the 
United  States  several  times,  was  often  in  England,  and 
had  a  point  of  view  and  experience  which  made  him  of 
great  service  to  us.  "What  I  do  not  want,"  said  he,  "is 
to  have  Belgium  held  up  in  England  and  in  the  United 
States  as  a  nation  of  beggars.  I  am  grateful  for  appeals 
made  for  us  by  organizations  like  the  American  Red  Cross, 
but  we  have  suffered  too  much  already  by  the  wild  talk 
of  both  frenzied  Belgians  and  frenzied  Americans.  We 
take  help  now  gratefully  because  we  have  to,  both  through 
you  and  through  Hoover.  But  once  give  us  back  our  coun- 
try and  help  us  get  started,  and  we  don't  want  any  more 
talk  about  the  poor  Belgians.  The  relief  must  be  cut 
off  at  the  earliest  possible  moment." 

Segers,  Minister  of  Railways,  Hubert  of  Industry,  and 
Liebaert  and  Cooreman,  Ministers  of  State,  completed 
the  Havre  Cabinet, — Cooreman  becoming  Prime  Minister 
a  little  later  and  continuing  to  the  end  of  the  war. 

linearly  all  the  Belgian  Ministers  and  the  members  of 
their  families  were  engaged  in  some  form  of  relief  work 
for  their  unhappy  countrymen.  To  walk  between  them 
all  and  tread  on  no  toes,  to  do  the  wise  thing  and  not 
have  it  appear  partisan  or  sectarian,  would  have  been 
difficult  had  it  not  been  for  two  things. 


22  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

On  their  side,  whatever  their  divisions,  the  Belgians 
wanted  distress  relieved  and  people  saved,  no  matter  what 
agency  did  it. 

On  our  side,  we  tried  to  know  all  that  was  knowable 
about  the  rivalries  of  persons  and  institutions  and  then  to 
walk  as  if  they  did  not  exist. 

Underlying  everything  was  the  basic  fact  that  these 
Belgians  were  likable  human  beings,  no  different  in  essen- 
tials from  the  people  back  home,  and  that  we  had  a  chief 
of  our  Belgian  work  who  approached  them  with  a  dignity, 
a  courtesy,  and  a  good  will  which  won  their  confidence  and 
regard. 

It  was  a  little  government  without  a  country.  It  was 
separated  from  the  King  by  a  long,  tiresome,  all-day  motor 
ride.  It  had  to  submit  to  more  or  less  dictation  from  the 
big  Allies  who  loaned  it  money, — and  every  reference  to  it 
out  of  Germtmy  was  couched  in  terms  of  the  greatest 
contempt.  But  around  it  swirled  all  the  currents  of  the 
w^ar  maelstrom.  To  it  came  the  rumors,  the  gossip,  and 
the  authentic  news.  At  it  were  directed  two  or  three  of 
Germany's  most  important  peace  efforts. 

The  Commission  to  Belgium  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
was  fortunate  in  establishing  close  relations  with  this 
government  at  Le  Havre. 

The  Ministers  knew  the  facts  about  their  army,  their 
hospitals,  and  their  people  w^herever  they  were  situated. 
Thev  were  able  to  tell  us  in  a  few  words  what  relief  meas- 
ures  had  been  undertaken,  who  were  at  work,  what  were 
the  most  pressing  needs  and  the  possibilities  of  future 
distress.  They  were  never  too  busy  to  advise  and  help. 
They  straightened  out  quickly  questions  of  "circulation'' 
or  free  movement  of  our  personnel  with  British,  French 
or  their  own  military  authorities.  Their  cooperation  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  success  of  Red  Cross  work  for 
Belgium. 


CHAPTER  III 

The  Battle  of  the  Yser 

"'^OW,"  said  the  Germans  to  Brand  Whitlock  that 
-*-^  tragic  day  in  Brussels  when  Antwerp  fell,  "now 
watch  us  push  the  Belgian  Govermnent  into  the  sea."  It 
was  not  that  the  Germans  cared  so  much  to  punish  the 
Belgians,  Whitlock  says,  but  that  their  great  objective  was 
Dunkirk,  Calais,  Boulogne,  Dieppe  and  the  other  channel 
ports  which  w^ere  the  very  life  of  the  allied  cause. 

The  "foolish,  short-sighted  Belgians"  first  of  all  had 
refused  to  drive  a  thrifty  bargain  and  let  the  German 
armies  through. 

They  had  secondly  at  Liege  put  up  a  resistance  which 
delayed  the  powerful  forces  destined  to  swing  around  and 
capture  Paris.  There  would  have  been  no  battle  of  the 
Marne  without  Liege. 

Finally,  at  Antwerp,  they  had  defended  the  forts,  some 
in  bad  condition,  and  consumed  still  more  of  the  precious 
German  time;  they  had  disarranged  the  schedule  until  the 
High  Command  became  both  nervous  and  furious.'^ 

Then  the  King  made  a  fateful  decision  to  save  his 
army  from  capture,  extricated  his  forces,  and  gave  up 
the  place  wdiich  every  Belgian  had  regarded  as  a  Gibraltar. 

On  Friday,  October  9,  1914,  the  Germans  entered  Ant- 
werp, and  coming  in  to  Whitlock's  house  in  Brussels, 
one  of  the  higher  officers  exclaimed  with  glee,  "]^ow  watch 
us  push  the  Belgians  into  the  sea." 

The  battle  of  the  Yser  with  that  of  Ypres  and  Arras 
which  followed,  all  a  part  of  what  Joffre  calls  "The  Battle 
for  Flanders,"  had  been  reckoned  throughout  the  war  as 

*Belgmm  under  the  German  Occupation.     Whitlock. 

23 


24  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

one  of  tlie  decisive  battles  of  tlie  world.  But  only  now  are 
we  beginning  to  get  the  story  from  the  leaders : 

Field  Marshal  Viscomte  French  of  Ypres,  the  Sir  John 
French  of  1914,  in  his  book  "1914"  describes  the  "stakes 
for  which  we  were  playing,"  He  asks  how  it  would  have 
fared  with  the  British  Empire  if  from  the  end  of  October, 
1914,  up  to  the  end  of  the  war,  the  German  right  flank 
had  been  "established  at  Dieppe  instead  of  at  ISTieuport." 
The  enemy  then  would  have  had  the  whole  of  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Pas  de  Calais,  the  ports  of  Dieppe,  Boulogne, 
Calais  and  Dunkirk,  submarines  would  have  closed  the 
channel  to  British  trade,  England  would  have  been  starved 
out  or  invaded,  "the  horrors  of  air  raids  would  have  been 
multiplied  a  hundred  fold,"  and  long  range  artillery  would 
have  made  effective  practice  across  the  channel  at  the 
English  coast. 

"The  stakes  for  which  we  were  playing,"  said  he,  "were 
nothing  less  than  the  safety,  indeed,  the  very  existence  of 
the  British  Empire." 

General  von  Falkenhayn,  Chief  of  the  German  General 
Staff  at  the  time,  in  "General  Headquarters,  1914-16  and 
Its  Critical  Decisions,"  says: 

"It  seemed  possible  to  bring  the  northern  coast  of 
France  and  therefore  control  of  the  English  channel,  into 
German  hands.  The  prize  to  be  won  was  worth  the  stake." 
It  would  make  possible,  "the  drastic  action  against  Eng- 
land and  her  sea  traffic  with  submarines,  aeroplanes  and 
airships,  which  was  being  prepared  as  a  reply  to  England's 
war  of  starvation."  Each  side  was  making  desperate  ef- 
forts to  outflank  the  other.  Success  for  either  in  the 
fall  of  1914  might  have  meant  speedy  victory  and  the  end 
of  the  war. 

King  Albert  and  the  Belgians  who  were  to  play  so 
decisive  a  part  in  the  battle,  during  that  second  week  of 
October,  were  marching  west  and  south.  They  were  in 
desperate  condition.  "The  first  of  all  to  fight,"  they  had 
been  at  it  against  heavy  odds  for  over  six  weeks  and  were 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  YSER  25 

about  worn  out.  They  had  stood  some  terrible  pounding, 
hoping  daily  for  the  Allies  to  come.  ISTow  they  had  lost 
nearly  the  whole  country,  but  Foch  for  the  French,  and 
Sir  John  French  for  the  English  were  sending  urgent 
messages  to  them  to  save  the  coast.  Where  could  they  in 
their  extremity  make  a  stand  against  the  new  fresh 
armies  constantly  hurled  at  them? 

Some  sixty  miles  west  of  Antwerp  is  the  fashionable 
seaside  resort,  Ostend,  and  ten  miles  down  the  coast  toward 
the  French  frontier  from  Ostend  is  the  mouth  of  the  Yser 
Kiver  at  Nieuport.  Behind  the  Yser  is  a  low-lying, 
marshy  country,  cut  by  canals  and  waterways  feeding 
the  Yser,  which  itself  is  here  a  canal  65  feet  wide. 

Like  their  forefathers  in  almost  every  century  from 
Csesar  down,  in  their  hour  of  peril,  the  Belgians  made  for 
the  swamps  and  got  ready  to  call  on  the  water  for  help. 
They  took  their  stand  on  the  Yser  and  there  for  two  weeks 
from  October  15  on,  they  fought  a  battle  which  saved 
civilization,  led  by  a  King  who  already  seems  like  a  figure 
of  mythology. 

Said  John  Buchan  in  "ISTelson's  History  of  the  War," 
"the  forty  miles  between  Lille  and  IsTieuport  suddenly 
became  the  Thermopylae  of  the  war." 

This  was  the  gateway  to  the  coast,  closed  by  the  French 
on  the  south,  the  British  at  Ypres  and  the  Belgians  on  the 
Yser.  The  battles  of  La  Bassee,  Arras,  Ypres  and  the 
Yser  are  all  a  part  of  one  struggle.  Had  the  Germans 
won  anywhere  they  would  have  won  everywhere. 

What  made  the  Belgian  end  of  it  so  dramatic  was  that 
everybody  knew  the  Belgians  had  lost  men  and  equipment, 
were  short  of  ammunition  and  food,  and  were  inexpressi- 
bly weary.  "Little  can  be  expected  of  the  Belgians,"  said 
more  than  one  allied  despatch.  "Their  morale  is  shattered 
by  continual  retreat." 

But  they  were  men  fighting  for  the  last  few  square  miles 
of  their  country.  Only  the  King  and  Generals  might 
know  the  great  world  issues.     They  knew  that  they  were 


26  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

fighting  for  their  homes.     And  they  were  a  stiff-necked, 
stubborn,  unyielding  folk. 

From  Nieuport-Bains  where  it  entered  the  sea,  the 
Yser  was  the  front  line  for  eleven  miles,  to  Dixraude, 
where  it  makes  a  great  bend  south  and  southwest  to  its 
source  in  France, 

Back  of  the  Yser  from  one  to  one  and  a  half  miles 
and  parallel  all  the  way  from  jSTieuport  to  Dixmude  was 
a  single  track  line  of  railway  on  a  little  embankment  above 
the  flatlands,  which  was  destined  to  play  a  memorable  part 
in  the  struggle. 

The  Belgians  held  the  Yser  to  Dixmude  and  eleven 
miles  of  more  solid  land  from  Dixmude  to  Boesinghe, 
near  Ypres,  Subsequently  their  line  was  shortened  to 
151/^  miles  by  French  and  British  reinforcements.  There 
were  crossings  of  the  Yser  at  St.  George  near  ISTieuport,  at 
the  Schoorbakke,  Tervaete  east  of  Pervyse,  and  at 
Dixmude. 

The  Belgians  had  from  60,000  to  80,000  men,  48,000 
of  whom  were  rifles.  They  had  the  help  of  6,000  gallant 
French  marines  in  Dixmude,  two  divisions  of  French  terri- 
torials and  another  French  division  before  the  battle 
closed. 

The  Germans  in  front  of  the  Belgians  numbered  150,- 
000  men — the  army  released  by  the  fall  of  Antwerp  and 
several  new  army  corps  under  the  Duke  of  Wurtemburg. 

Crown  Prince  Rupprecht  of  Bavaria,  brother-in-law  to 
the  Queen  of  the  Belgians,  was  one  of  the  German  High 
Command  in  Flanders  during  this  struggle.  Practically 
all  through  the  war  his  presence  on  their  front  added  a  pa- 
thetic and  dramatic  touch  to  the  situation. 

For  two  weeks,  Belgians  and  Geinnans  were  at  close 
grips.  The  Germans  coming  down  in  force  hurled  the 
Belgians  over  the  river  and  the  Belgians  fought  their 
way  back.*  Violent  attempts  were  made  to  capture  Dix- 
mude— fifteen  in  one  night,   but   Belgian   artillery   and 

*NeIson's  History  of  the   World   War. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  YSER  27 

French  marines  held  it  by  an  unending  struggle.  Xot 
until  November  10  did  the  Germans  get  into  the  town  and 
then  it  was  too  late  to  do  them  any  good. 

Down  the  shore  road  against  Nieuport  itself,  they  made 
one  powerful  massed  attack  but  at  the  crisis  they  were 
heavily  shelled  from  the  sea.  British  ships  had  crossed 
and  were  taking  a  hand  where  the  Germans  had  not 
dreamed  they  would  run  the  risk.  But  among  other 
vessels,  the  British  had  three  Brazilian  craft  built  in 
England  for  patrol  work  on  the  Amazon  River.  They 
drew  only  four  feet,  seven  inches  of  water.  Heavily 
armored  and  converted  into  a  kind  of  monitor,  they  could 
operate  on  the  dangerous  shoals  where  submarines  could 
not  attack  them.  With  other  old  warships  to  help,  they 
annoyed  the  Germans  for  five  or  six  miles  inland.* 

It  was,  says  Buchan,  like  the  Battles  of  the  Dunes  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  before  when  Cromwell's  fleet 
came  to  the  help  of  the  French  and  shelled  the  Spaniards 
from  the  sea. 

In  spite  of  all  efforts,  the  battle  seemed  lost  when  the 
Germans  at  last  fought  their  way  over  the  Yser  at  the 
Schoorbakke  and  Tervaete,  held  their  ground  and  kept 
crossing  in  force.  But  it  was  one  thing  to  cross  and  an- 
other thing  to  spread  out.  There  were  dikes  and  canals 
everywhere,  and  then  the  railway  bank,  and  Belgians  be- 
hind everything.  But  the  Germans  were  inexorable.  For 
three  days  they  slowly  pushed  on  over  the  swampy  ground. 
The  men  of  Flanders  however  knew  their  waterways  and 
the  possibilities.  There  were  no  dykes  to  cut  to  let  the 
ocean  in  but  their  faithful  Yser  was  brimming  full.*  At 
the  most  critical  hour  they  completed  a  dam  at  Nieuport. 
Suddenly  the  Germans  found  puddles  where  none  had  been 
before,  then  pools,  then  their  artillery  was  deep  in  mud, 
and  then  they  were  floundering  in  a  foot  of  water.  The 
river  was  spilling  it  over  on  to  them.  Even  then  they 
made  a  last  effort.    Under  the  eyes  of  the  Kaiser  himself, 

*Nelson's  History   of  the    World   War. 


28  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

picked  volunteers  charged  tliroiigli  a  foot  of  water  and 
captured  Ramscappelle  and  a  point  on  the  railroad  bank 
for  tlie  second  time.  But  tliey  could  not  advance.  Wet, 
cold,  miserable,  they  held  it  for  the  night,  but  on  October 
31  were  driven  out. 

Finally,  all  the  sluices  of  the  feeders  of  the  Yser  were 
opened,  the  waters  rose  fast,  drowning  some  of  the  Ger- 
mans, and  the  battle  was  over. 

The  Belgians  had  lost  14,000  men  killed  and  wounded.* 
Their  effective  rifles  were  reduced  to  32,000  men  and 
half  of  the  artillery  was  for  the  time  put  out  of  commission. 
But  they  had  responded  every  time  to  the  appeal  of  the 
King  who  begged  for  one  day  more — and  another  day 
more — ^through  two  horrible  weeks. 

They  had  established  the  lines  of  Free  Belgium  as  they 
were  to  stand  throughout  the  war.  They  had  saved  "the 
little  corner  never  conquered"  in  which  we  of  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  were  to  see  such  stirring  days  and  do  so 
much  of  our  work. 


*Commander  in  Chief  Belgian  Army  on  "The  War  of  1914,"  p.  85. 


CHAPTER  IV 
"The  Little  Corner  !N'ever  Conquered" 

DURING  the  battle  for  Flanders  two  Commanders 
issued  proclamations  to  their  troops  which  have  been 
preserved. 

Crown  Prince  Rupprecht  of  Bavaria,  brother-in-law  of 
King  Albert  and  Queen  Elisabeth  of  Belgium,  on  October 
26,  1914,  promulgated  an  army  order  commending  several 
German  corps  and  brigades,  thanking  the  troops  and  clos- 
ing with  this  appeal:  "Soldiers,  the  eyes  of  the  whole 
world  are  now  directed  upon  you.  You  must  not  now  lose 
your  energy  in  the  fight  with  our  most  hated  foe,  you 
must  finally  break  his  pride.  He  is  already  tired  out. 
Already  many  officers  and  men  have  voluntarily  surren- 
dered. But  the  greatest  and  most  decisive  battle  still  re- 
mains before  you.  You  must  sustain  it  even  to  the  end. 
The  enemy  must  be  crushed.  You  will  persevere,  you 
will  not  let  him  escape  your  fangs.  We  must  conquer,  we 
will  conquer,  we  shall  conquer." 

On  October  28,  King  Albert  addressed  a  proclamation 
to  his  officers,  noncommissioned  officers,  corporals  and 
soldiers.  "For  more  than  two  months  you  have  fought 
with  marvelous  courage  and  rare  energy.  You  have  been 
unable  to  guard  the  country  from  an  odious  invasion ;  but 
Belgium  has  not  submitted,  and  the  Belgian  Army  is  not 
annihilated. 

"Thanks  to  the  wise  retreat  from  Antwerp,  considerable 
forces  remain  intact.  .  .  .  Together  the  Allies  will  retake, 
step  by  step,  the  territory  soiled  by  the  occupation  of  a 
powerful  enemy  who  had  premeditated  the  war,  and 
brought  formidable  resources  against  us. 

29 


30  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

"Soldiers!  our  towns  have  been  burnt,  our  fields  rav- 
aged, our  hearths  destroyed;  mourning  is  universal  in 
our  dear  country,  which  has  been  cruelly  devastated  by 
pitiless  foes.  Even  greater  misfortunes  hang  over  our 
compatriots  if  you  do  not  deliver  them  from  infamous 
oppression.  You  have  then  an  imperative  duty  which 
you  will  know  how  to  perform  when  your  leaders  give  the 
sign. 

"A  great  Xing  of  France  once  wrote  this  letter  in  the 
day  of  defeat :  'All  is  lost  save  honor,'  You  have  clothed 
your  unfortunate  country  with  honor  and  today  you  must 
cause  it  to  rise  from  its  ashes. 

"Soldiers !  There  remains  for  you  more  than  the  glory 
of  conquest.  You  have  to  rescue  the  country  with  the  aid 
of  our  noble  Allies." 

There  is  a  marked  difference  in  the  tone  of  the  two 
proclamations.  The  one  is  the  appeal  to  pride  and  hate; 
the  other  is  the  appeal  for  home  and  loved  ones,  native 
land  and  honor.  The  reconquest  of  the  country  was  not 
to  come  for  over  four  years  but  the  proclamation  of  the 
King  nerved  the  little  army  for  a  long  and  terrible  ordeal 
in  the  mud  and  cold  of  Flanders. 

They  already  had  gone  through  three  terrible  winters 
in  the  trenches  when  the  x^merican  Red  Cross  came  in  the 
fall  of  1917  to  the  little  corner  of  Free  Belgium  never 
conquered  by  the  Germans. 

What  was  there  of  it?  There  were  eight  miles  north- 
easterly along  the  coast  of  the  North  Sea  from  the  fron- 
tier of  France  near  Dunkirk  up  through  La  Panne,  St. 
Idesblade,  Coxyde,  Cost  Dunkcrke  to  Nieuport-Bains  on 
the  Yser ;  forty-five  or  fifty  miles  southeasterly  in  a  great 
bend  of  front  line  trenches  from  ISTieuport-Bains  through 
Nieuport,  Ramscappelle,  Pervyse,  Merkem,  around  Ypres 
and  to  a  point  on  the  frontier  near  Armentieres  where  the 
trenches  left  Flanders  and  entered  French  territory; 
thirty-one  or  two  miles  northerly  back  along  the  French 
frontier  to  the  point  of  beginning.    This  long  narrow  strip 


"THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED"  31 

of  land  was  in  most  places  eight  to  ten  miles  wide  from 
the  front  line  back  to  the  French  frontier.  It  narrowed 
to  a  width  of  a  mile  or  two  at  the  lower  end  and  at  times 
widened  out  over  a  vast  destroyed  ISTo-Man's-Land  in  front 
of  Ypres  to  a  total  width  at  that  point  of  perhaps  20 
miles.  The  area  seldom  got  above  250  or  300  square  miles 
and  what  was  added  to  it  by  successful  attack  was  not 
reckoned  as  much,  for  it  was  an  abomination  of  desolation. 
All  the  towns  mentioned  except  La  Panne  were  of  course 
destroyed  by  the  time  we  arrived.  Of  this  250  square 
miles  of  Belgian  territory,  there  were  picturesque  sand 
dunes  along  the  coast,  many  of  which  were  artillery  posts ; 
trenches  above  ground  at  the  front,  destroyed  country  from 
2  miles  to  10  miles  back  of  it,  and  a  rich,  flat  farming 
country  in  the  rear,  every  foot  of  which  was  exposed  to 
shell  fire,  but  which  in  the  main  was  unhurt  except  for 
an  occasional  shell  hole,  roofless  farmhouse,  dead  peasant 
or  cow.  There  were  other  Flemish  villages  like  Houthem, 
the  Belgian  Great  Headquarters,  Leysele,  Isenberge,  Wul- 
veringhem,  Vincken,  Beveren,  Hoogstade,  Oostvleteren, 
Proven,  Watou  and  Eousbrugge  which  were  comparatively 
safe. 

There  were  places  like  Ypres,  Kemmel,  jSTeuve-Eglise, 
Ploeg  Steert,  Dickebusch,  Vlamertinghe,  entirely  wiped 
out  and  then  other  places  like  Furnes,  of  which  one-fourth 
of  the  houses  were  wiped  out,  one-fourth  badly  hurt,  one- 
fourth  slightly  touched  and  one-fourth  undamaged,  so 
dangerous  at  times  that  it  was  entirely  evacuated  and  at 
other  times  reasonably  safe. 

In  this  little  corner  of  West  Flanders  there  were  four 
armies  operating  in  1917,  the  British  next  the  sea,  the 
Belgians,  the  French,  and  then  again  a  huge  British 
Army  around  Ypres.  The  French  forces  were  small  and 
were  soon  after  withdrawn  except  for  some  artillery  near 
La  Panne.  The  presence  of  the  French,  however,  was  one 
of  the  bits  of  color,  and  association  with  the  officers  one 
of  the  compensations  for  Flanders.     General  Eouquerol, 


32  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

head  of  the  French  Mission  to  the  Belgian  Army,  and 
Colonel  Bonhomme,  commanding  the  gnns  in  the  dunes 
back  of  La  Panne,  and  their  staffs  were  brave,  upstanding, 
interesting,  helpful  men.  I  remember  Colonel  Bonhomme 
as  the  kindly  officer  who  took  me  to  have  a  drill  with  my 
gas  mask  at  the  French  gas  mask  station — a  thing  I  had 
neglected  to  do  until  he  insisted  upon  it. 

Back  of  the  forces  at  the  front,  there  stretched  far  into 
France  the  artillery,  the  reserves,  the  training  camps,  the 
hospitals,  the  aerodromes,  and  all  services  of  supply. 
Where  the  Belgians  could  put  a  thing  on  their  own  soil 
they  did  so,  and  often  took  grave  risks  to  stay  in  their 
own  land. 

For  example,  the  bakery  near  Adinkerke,  which  fur- 
nished a  train  load  of  bread  every  day  for  the  trenches, 
was  destroyed  in  1918.  As  I  have  said,  the  Minister  of 
War  lost  most  of  his  offices  and  records  at  Furnes.  Gen- 
eral Eucquoy  had  his  children's  colony  at  Boitshoucke 
shelled  to  pieces;  the  Ocean  Hospital  at  La  Panne  was 
two  or  three  times  temporarily  evacuated,  and  the  Hopital 
Elisabeth  at  Poperinghe  was  permanently  evacuated  and 
destroyed,  and  so  something  or  other  was  always  either 
getting  hit  or  just  escaping. 

In  among  these  great  armies  moving  to  and  fro,  there 
lived  the  civilian  population  which  would  not  go  away. 
Military  commanders  raged  about  it.  Civil  governments 
gave  orders  but  generally  the  orders  were  revoked  or  not 
enforced.  The  peasants  clung  to  the  soil.  It  was  the 
same  with  the  Flemish  or  half  Flemish  population  of 
northern  France.  They  simply  would  not  leave  unless  the 
Germans  were  at  the  doors.  It  was  partly  due,  we  must 
admit,  to  cupidity.  They  are  a  thrifty  lot.  They  got 
high  prices  for  all  produce  during  the  war.  They  made 
more  money  than  they  had  ever  made  in  their  lives,  even 
with  the  able-bodied  men  away.  And  their  little  homes 
and  furniture  and  animals  were  dear  to  them.  The  old 
woman  might  have  little  more  than  a  cow  but  she  would 


"THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED"  33 

not  leave  her  cow.  But  there  was  underlying  it  all  a 
noble  patriotism.  In  Belgium  it  meant  going  into  an- 
other country.  While  thousands  did  go,  other  thousands 
whose  homes  were  free,  stayed,  worked  for  the  army, 
raised  their  crops,  mended  roads  and  performed  all  kinds 
of  services. 

When  the  American  Eed  Cross  reached  Free  Belgium  in 
the  early  fall  of  1917,  there  were  90,000  civilians  still 
there. 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Spectacle  of  War  in  Flanders 

OUR  first  morning  at  La  Panne  we  were  awakened  by 
the  rattle  of  machine  guns,  and  jumpiiig  to  the 
balcony  of  our  hotel  room  overlooking  the  sea,  we  were 
just  in  time  to  see  a  German  plane  plunge  into  the  sea. 
Jt  made  a  terrific  splash  and  then  there  was  nothing  to  be 
seen  but  the  Englishman  hovering  overhead. 

x\nother  afternoon,  coming  into  town,  Bicknell  ex- 
claimed suddenly,  "There  goes  one" — and  we  saw  a  sec- 
ond German  fall  in  narrowing  spirals  until  he  crashed 
into  the  canal  not  far  away. 

"The  Germans  will  want  to  take  some  revenge  for  this," 
said  Bicknell,  "and  maybe  send  a  few  shells  over." 
Within  an  hour  the  first  one  came  with  a  terrific  screech 
directly  past  the  little  villa  and  landed  in  the  sand.  It 
was  just  before  sunset.  Soldiers  and  civilians  were  walk- 
ing on  the  beach.  Many  were  bathing.  Such  a  scattering 
of  people  I  never  saw  before.  Then  came  another,  exactly 
among  them  but  nobody  was  hurt.  One  is  safer  on  the 
sand  than  in  a  house.  The  area  covered  by  the  explosion 
in  sand  is  small.  The  sand  grips  the  jagged  bits  of  metal 
and  much  of  the  force  is  lost.  That  night  other  shells  fell 
near  the  hospital  and  Dr.  Depage,  whose  guests  we  were, 
ordered  everybody  into  shallow  trenches  on  the  beach,  the 
wounded,  nurses,  doctors,  orderlies  and  guests. 

While  we  lay  there,  the  Germans  went  over  to  Dunkirk 
down  the  coast  and  the  whole  sky  that  way  was  lighted  up 
with  the  explosion  of  the  barrage  of  defense. 

This  kind  of  thing  was  not  uncommon,  and  unhappily 
almost  always  there  were  victims. 

34 


THE  SPECTACLE  OF  WAR  IX  FLANDERS       35 

A  bomb  fell  just  outside  our  office — all  our  windows 
were  smashed  and  two  soldiers  standing  on  the  corner 
were  blown  to  bits. 

A  shell  came  into  the  hotel  next  door  and  riddled  the 
top  story.  Another  shell  from  the  sea  came  into  the  hotel 
on  the  corner,  entering  just  over  the  door,  but  it  was  a 
little  fellow  and  did  no  great  damage. 

We  would  be  eating  lunch  sometimes  and  see  shells  fall 
on  the  beach.  One  Sunday,  while  at  dinner,  w^e  saw  a 
German  submarine  exchange  shells  with  the  coast — the 
whole  thing  a  picturesque  but  a  perfectly  futile  per- 
formance. 

Night  after  night  the  planes  of  the  Allies  went  up  and 
eame  down  the  coast,  and  night  after  night  the  Germans 
passed  over  on  the  way  to  and  from  Dunkirk,  Calais, 
Boulogne,  or  England.  Occasionally  they  had  a  bomb  or 
two  left  over  for  La  Panne,  and  now  and  then  we  would 
be  counted  worthy  of  a  real  visit. 

Some  of  the  happenings  were  terribly  tragic,  but  some 
were  funny.  One  bomb  hit  a  chicken  house  of  a  worthy 
citizen,  destroyed  his  fowls,  and  a  big  piece  of  it  flew 
into  the  open  window  of  the  bed  chamber  of  this  citizen 
asleep  there  and  lodged  under  his  bed  without  his  even 
waking  up.     Such  were  some  of  the  Flemish  nerves. 

One  shell  fell  among  a  score  of  little  children  playing 
in  the  yard  at  the  villa  of  the  Queen  and  did  no  harm  as 
it  failed  to  explode.  Another  which  fell  on  the  Bains 
Militaires  or  Military  Baths  gave  us  GO  victims  of  whom 
30  died. 

Troops  were  always  marching  in  or  marching  out. 
When  the  English  held  La  Panne  and  Nieuport  in  the  fall 
of  1917,  every  morning  one  could  see  hundreds  of  mounted 
men  riding  their  horses  out  belly  deep  into  the  sea. 

By  day  or  night  the  great  English  monitors  with  their 
little  patrols  came  drifting  up  and  when  they  attacked 
the  German  lines,  it  was  the  heaviest  firing  of  all.  They 
often  broke  our  windows. 


36  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

We  had  grandstand  seats  for  the  dramatic  night  attacks 
on  Ostcnd  and  Zeebrugge,  the  most  spectacular  naval  op- 
erations of  the  war,  though  we  didn't  know  it  at  the  time. 
We  simply  knew  that  there  were  terrific  explosions,  that 
the  night  was  lighted  up,  and  that  a  few  people  came  out 
of  their  houses  at  La  Panne  to  inquire  sleepily  what  was 
taking  place. 

On  other  nights  German  destroyers  came  out  from 
Ostend  and  Zeebrugge  and  dashed  down  the  coast,  shelling 
as  they  went.  The  raids  were  futile  as  a  rule  and  the 
shells  that  fell  on  La  Panne  were  small  and  did  little 
damage.  But  as  spectacles,  such  raids  also  were  mag- 
nificent. 

Belgian  Ministers  were  always  coming  or  departing. 
Other  visitors  from  all  over  the  world  had  to  be  enter- 
tained, many  of  whom  we  had  to  take  to  the  trenches. 

Attached  to  some  parties  there  was  especial  interest, 
like  the  Irish  journalists  coming  to  get  material  about 
what  little  Belgium  was  doing  to  spread  it  broadcast  in 
Ireland. 

Sometimes  by  day  we  saw  a  sausage  balloon  over  the 
trenches  go  up  in  smoke  and  the  occupant,  if  lucky,  come 
down  in  his  parachute. 

At  night  there  were  always  the  flares  of  the  trenches 
and  the  flashes  of  the  guns. 

Only  a  hair  line  separated  life  and  death.  We  took 
visitors  to  the  little  hotel  on  the  corner  to  lunch.  A  fine 
young  Belgian  aviator  was  sitting  at  the  next  table  with 
his  brother.  He  finished  first,  strolled  out,  got  into  his 
plane  and  was  off. 

Before  we  finished.  Commandant  Le  Due  cried,  "See 
that  fellow  doing  stunts."  But  it  was  no  stunt.  Down 
he  came,  the  same  boy  who  finished  his  luncheon  first,  in 
a  nose  spin,  faster  and  faster  until  he  hit  the  sea.  There 
was  a  great  splash,  wings  of  the  plane  fioating  an  instant 
and  all  was  gone.  Nothing  remained  but  men  running 
wildly  on  the  beach  and  the  brother  tugging  desperately  at 


THE  SPECTACLE  OF  WAR  IN  FLANDERS       37 

a  huge  fishing  boat  whicli  twenty  men  could  not  move 
from  the  sand. 

Down  just  back  of  Ypres  and  around  Poperinghe,  there 
were  the  last  of  the  hopyards  for  which  Flanders  was 
famous.  But  the  hopyards  were  screens  for  motor  con- 
voys and  aerodromes.  While  men,  women  and  little  chil- 
dren were  hop  picking,  English  battle  planes  were  going 
up  beside  them  and  German  shells  were  searching  always 
for  roads  and  dumps  and  quarters  or  whatever  else  was 
there.  And  very  often  the  shells  found  the  men,  women 
and  children  making  hay,  or  picking  hops  or  gathering  the 
great  broad  beans  of  Flanders. 

Everywhere  on  the  beach,  along  the  roads,  in  the  hospi- 
tals, in  the  trenches,  one  met  the  King  and  Queen,  those 
two  who  gave  interest  and  thrill  and  glory  to  everything 
in  Flanders.  They  might  be  with  a  visitor  like  King 
George  of  England,  Poincare  or  Clemenceau  of  France, — 
or  the  King  might  be  on  a  bicycle  or  walking  away  from 
i\  peasant's  burning  house — one  never  saw  them  without 
sensing  the  intense  pathos  of  the  whole  world  struggle. 

The  American  Red  Cross  workers  were  not  out  for  spec- 
tacles, but  no  man  who  did  not  sense  the  great  spectacle  in 
Flanders  was  fit  to  work  there,  and  no  man  could  intelli- 
gently do  the  work  of  relief  if  he  did  not  know  something 
of  the  whole  mighty  struggle  of  which  it  was  a  part. 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  King  and  the  Queen 

THE  war  in  Flanders  revolved  around  tlie  King  and 
the  Queen.  The  relief  work  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  for  Belgium  was  done  with  their  closest  cooperation 
and  often  directly  through  them. 

From  the  time  of  the  battle  of  the  Yser,  until  the  end 
of  the  war,  the  King  and  Queen  lived  in  a  villa  on  the 
beach  at  La  Panne,  or  on  a  farm  in  what  is  called  the 
Moeres,  three  miles  aw^ay.  The  greater  part  of  the  winter 
of  1917-18  they  were  living  in  the  Moeres  as  La  Panne, 
it  was  said,  was  considered  too  dangerous.  But  they  were 
in  La  Panne  nearly  every  day,  and  on  roads  which  were 
shelled,  or  in  the  trenches.  Moreover,  shells  went  over 
them  in  the  Moeres  constantly  and  bombs  several  times 
fell  in  the  garden. 

One  of  our  men  who  went  down  to  the  farm  just  about 
nightfall  to  see  the  King  and  Queen  reported  that  German 
shrapnel  was  bursting  all  the  time  that  he  was  there, 
around  a  Belgian  sausage  balloon  just  above,  but  that  the 
King  sat  smoking  peacefully  on  the  porch  with  General 
Jungblut,  the  little  Princess  Marie-Jose  and  the  Countess 
Caramon  de  Chimay  were  sketching  in  the  yard,  and  the 
Queen  was  walking  up  and  down  the  road.  The  danger 
was  less  in  some  places  than  others,  but  there  was  no  real 
safety. 

Of  all  the  great  figures  of  the  World  War  none  have 
captured  the  popular  imagination  more  than  the  King  and 
the  Queen  of  the  Belgians.  They  represented  a  small 
kingdom  against  a  powerful  empire.  With  their  people, 
they  made  a  right  choice  in  the  beginning — that  of  oppos- 

38 


•4-1 

u 
« 

3 

•a 
u 


o 
u 

O 
Pi 


.s 


CM 

u 

O 

4-* 
U 

o 

c 
o 


O  c 


w  .5     tc 


c 

3 

a 

-a 
c 

c 

u 

h 


THE  KING  AND  THE  QUEEN  39 

ing  the  passage  of  German  troops  at  any  cost.  They  were 
situated  in  an  especially  dramatic  place,  all  they  did  had 
dramatic  significance,  and  they  lived  up  to  their  high  and 
noble  part  all  through. 

During  the  war,  Maeterlinck,  the  Belgian  poet,  made 
an  address  in  France  upon  the  King's  birthday,  and  called 
him  "The  King  of  the  Sand  Kidge."  "Every  time,"  said 
he,  "the  bloody  veil  of  the  tempest  which  hides  him  from 
our  eyes  is  raised  or  rent,  we  behold  him  in  the  same  spot 
in  the  same  ridge  of  sand  which  has  become  the  most 
splendid  throne  in  the  world,  quietly,  almost  secretly, 
doinc;  his  dutv  as  a  crowned  soldier." 

Already  legends  have  begun  to  cluster  around  the  names 
of  this  King  and  Queen.  The  tendency  will  be  to  see  them 
through  the  mist.  We  were  with  them  on  the  other  side 
of  the  veil  and  saw  them  as  they  were.  They  lose  nothing 
close  up.  We  must  resist  the  tendency  to  magnify  them 
so  that  the  outlines  are  blurred.  History  will  be  richer 
if  we  can  keep  their  humanity  distinct. 

In  subsequent  chapters  details  of  work  done  with  the 
King  and  Queen  will  be  found.  It  is  important  here  to 
ask  what  kind  of  people  they  are. 

"I  have  both  French  and  German  blood  in  my  veins," 
said  the  King  one  night  when  the  Germans  were  thun- 
dering all  along  the  line. 

We  find  the  exact  statement  in  the  semi-official  Alma- 
nac de  Bruxelles: 

"Albert  I,  Leopold-Clement-Marie-Meinrad,  King  of 
the  Belgians,  due  de  Saxe,  prince  of  Saxe-Coburg  and 
Gotha,  sovereign  of  the  independent  state  of  the  Congo, 
majeste,  born  at  Brussels,  April  8,  1875,  son  of  Prince 
Philippe,  Count  of  Flanders,  and  of  Marie,  Princess  of 
Hohenzollern. 

"He  succeeded  his  uncle,  the  King  Leopold  II,  Decem- 
ber 23,  1909,  and  was  married  at  Munich,  October  2, 
1900,  to  Elisabeth,  Duchess  of  Bavaria,  who  was  born  in 
tlie  Chateau  of  Possenhoven,  July  25,  1875." 


40  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

The  same  infallible  authority  states  that  his  grand- 
mother, the  wife  of  King  Leopold  I,  a  German,  was  the 
Princess  Louise  Marie  d'Orleans,  daughter  of  King  Louis 
Philippe  of  France. 

The  Belgians  are  fond  of  telling  how  he  grew  up  with 
no  idea  of  becoming  King;  how  Elisabeth  married  him 
with  no  idea  that  she  was  to  become  Queen ;  and  how  Albert 
and  Elisabeth  used  to  walk  out  on  the  boulevards  of 
Brussels  with  their  children  on  Sunday  afternoons,  quite 
like  the  other  householders  of  that  city. 

ISTobody  can  understand  King  Albert  who  does  not 
understand  what  it  means  to  be  a  good  citizen.  He  is 
essentially  a  good  citizen,  with  civic  pride  and  an  in- 
tense desire  for  the  common  good,  doing  his  work  as  a  citi- 
zen through  the  hereditary  job  in  which  he  finds  himself. 

He  is  not  busy  amassing  a  fortune,  nor  enlarging  his 
own  political  power,  nor  taking  pleasure,  but  he  is  study- 
ing and  working  and  traveling  to  promote  the  general 
welfare.  Said  the  King  that  last  winter  in  La  Panne  to 
one  of  our  men,  "The  first  business  of  the  King  is  to  be 
the  servant  of  all  the  people." 

Unquestionably  he  is  able  to  be  the  good  citizen  be- 
cause he  is  first  of  all  the  good  man.  He  is  devoted  to  his 
wife  and  children.  He  is  simple,  unassuming,  honest, 
honorable,  patient,  open-minded,  seeking  light,  but  un- 
yielding. He  has  a  fine  sense  of  humor,  not  evident  at 
first,  but  gradually  revealing  itself  as  you  win  his  confi- 
dence and  his  shyness  or  bashfulness  wears  off. 

By  hard  study  of  books,  by  interviews  with  people  who 
are  supposed  to  know,  by  going  himself  where  things  are 
being  done,  the  King  is  all  the  time  fitting  himself  to 
lead,  to  advise,  to  help  his  country.  He  has  a  native 
intellect  which  the  Belgians  say  is  "not  brilliant  like  that 
of  Leopold  II,"  but  which  is  sure  and  steady;  and  he  is 
endowed  with  the  surpassing  gift  of  common  sense.  Most 
Belgians,  however,  who  praise  the  genius  of  Leopold  II 


THE  KING  AND  THE  QUEEN  41 

add  something  to  the  effect  that  King  Albert  has  true 
nobility  of  soul. 

He  is  a  constitutional  monarch  working  through  his 
Ministers.  During  the  war,  as  Commander  in  Chief  of 
the  army,  he  had  great  legal  power,  and  likewise,  because 
of  the  circumstances,  he  had  unusual  moral  power. 

That  power  he  keeps.  He  brings  it  to  bear  on  the  war- 
ring elements  of  his  country,  on  the  race  jealousies  of 
Flemings  and  Walloons,  on  the  political  jealousies  of 
Catholic,  Liberal  and  Socialist,  and  on  the  personal  jeal- 
ousies of  those  who  stayed  in  the  country  and  those  who 
were  out  of  the  country  during  the  war.  It  is  no  exagger- 
ation to  say  that  this  personal,  unifying,  harmonizing 
influence  of  the  King  has  done  much  to  hold  things  to- 
gether and  to  enable  Belgium  to  make  rapid  progress  to- 
ward recovery. 

King  Albert  is  a  big  man,  6  feet,  3  or  4  inches  tall,  of 
powerful  build,  light  golden  hair  and  mustache,  blue  eyes, 
ruddy  face,  and  of  slow  deliberate  speech.  Queen  Elisa- 
beth is  a  dainty  little  woman,  much  more  beautiful  than 
any  of  her  photographs,  with  fair  hair,  also  with  blue 
eyes,  low  voiced  but  quicker  in  speech  and  in  movement 
than  the  King.  They  have  three  children,  Prince  Leopold, 
Duke  of  Brabant,  the  heir  to  the  throne,  born  [Novem- 
ber 3,  1901,  Prince  Charles,  or  "Charlie,"  Count  of  Flan- 
ders, born  October  10,  1903,  and  the  Princess  Marie- 
Jose,  born  August  4=,  1906.  Their  beautiful  family  life 
is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  the  King  speaks  of  the  Queen 
as  "my  wife"  and  of  his  children  as  "my  boys"  or  "my 
little  girl."  He  said  to  one  of  our  men  when  he  was  dis- 
cussing education :  "I  like  my  boys  to  go  to  public  school 
and  play  football.  It  is  good  for  young  princes  to  play 
with  other  boys  and  get  their  shins  kicked."  Once  to  his 
sister  the  King  wrote  testifying  to  the  Queen's  medical 
skill:  "There  is  no  use  of  my  pretending  to  have  a 
headache  to  escape  from  some  stupid  function  for  Elisa- 
])eth  always  doctors  me  up  and  sends  me  along." 


42  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

The  Queen  has  both  German  and  Portuguese  blood  in 
her  veins.  She  was  born  in  Bavaria  in  a  home  devoted  to 
science  and  music  and  filled  with  an  unselfish  spirit  of 
service. 

Her  father,  Duke  Karl  Theodore,  was  a  famous  ocu- 
list, having  removed  over  6,000  cataracts.  He  was  a 
most  generous  man  in  his  service  to  the  poor  and  unfor- 
tunate. The  little  Elisabeth  was  trained  as  his  nurse. 
She  got  her  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  at  Leipzig  be- 
fore her  marriage  and  did  active  work  in  the  hospital  at 
Kreuth,  Germany.  She  investigated  especially  tubercu- 
losis, and  the  sleeping  sickness  which  was  so  deadly  in 
the  Congo,  and  likewise  made  a  study  of  methods  of 
training  nurses. 

She  has  always  made  personal  visits  to  people  in  trouble 
— back  in  the  happy  days  in  the  old  Germany,  in  the  even 
happier  days  in  Belgium  before  the  war,  and  all  through 
the  great  struggle.  She  has  the  Bavarian  love  of  music 
and  plays  beautifully  on  the  violin.  It  is  a  grim  com- 
mentary on  the  changes  of  life  that  this  gentle  loving  soul 
should  ever  have  to  say  of  the  Germans  as  she  has  said: 
"Between  them  and  me  there  has  fallen  a  curtain  of  iron 
that  will  never  again  be  lifted." 

When  the  King  and  Queen  were  driven  back  to  the  Yser, 
they  both  made  their  second  great  decision  of  the  war,  a 
decision  which  gives  them  a  mighty  hold  on  the  affections 
of  their  own  people,  and  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  their 
popularity  throughout  the  world.  They  put  aside  com- 
fort and  safety,  chose  to  share  the  common  lot  of  danger 
and  hardship  and  buckled  down  to  daily  tasks  of  the 
hardest  kind  to  help  win  the  war. 

The  King  led  his  men  in  the  trenches  and  from  head- 
quarters. He  worked  with  his  Minister  of  War,  his  Chief 
of  Staff,  and  the  Allied  chiefs.  And  he  went  to  the  worst 
places  of  the  worst  sectors  to  cheer  the  men  holding  the 
lines.  He  could  talk  Flemish  to  the  simple  farm  boys  and 
French  to  the  university  students  from  Brussels  and  Liege. 


THE  KING  AND  THE  QUEEN  43 

On  October  28,  during  the  battle  of  the  Yser,  the  little 
Queen  said  to  Hugh  Gibson,  Secretary  of  the  American 
Legation  at  Brussels:  "As  long  as  there  is  one  square 
foot  of  Belgium,  free  of  the  Germans,  I  will  be  on  it." 
"She  said  it,"  said  Gibson,  "simply  in  answer  to  a 
question  from  me,  but  there  w^as  a  big  force  of  courage 
and  determination  behind  it."  She  made  her  words  good, 
and  she  did  her  part  with  extraordinary  courage  and 
ability. 

Our  Red  Cross  men  w^ould  meet  her  sometimes  in  the 
mud  of  the  trenches.  One  of  them  writing  home  in  1917, 
described  such  an  encounter : 

"The  first  time  I  ever  saw  the  Queen  was  in  the  front 
trenches  just  before  Christmas.  Her  eldest  son,  Leopold, 
Duke  of  Brabant,  was  with  her  in  the  uniform  of  a  Bel- 
gian private.  A  daintily  dressed  little  lady,  with  a  sweet 
face  and  a  winning  smile,  she  made  her  way  from  dugout 
to  dugout  in  the  slime  and  mud,  with  chocolate  and  ciga- 
rettes and  other  gifts  for  the  men.  They  idolize  her  not 
so  much  for  the  chocolate  and  cigarettes  as  because  she  is 
there  to  see  for  herself  what  they  have  to  endure  and  to 
take  her  share  of  the  danger.  As  one  of  them  said  to  me, 
'When  we  see  the  Queen,  we  feel  that  we  are  not  forgot- 
ten, that  the  war  will  not  last  forever,  that  some  day  we 
will  all  be  "back  in  Brussels,'  "  * 

Her  medical  and  surgical  knowledge,  her  nursing  abil- 
ity, her  experience  in  public  health  work,  and  her  great 
store  of  human  sympathy  had  full  expression  in  the  war. 
In  "The  Hospital  of  the  Queen"  and  "The  Works  of  Her 
Majesty,  the  Queen,"  that  part  of  the  story  is  set  down. 

Though  the  King  and  Queen  walked  on  a  great  stage, 
nothing  is  as  far  from  the  mark  as  to  think  of  them  as 
theatrical. 


♦Her  Majesty  used  flowers  effectively  to  cheer  wounded  men.  Expert 
horticulturists  in  the  army,  under  direction  of  Dr.  Depage,  made 
a  remarkable  rose  garden  in  the  mud  of  Flanders  which  produced 
thousands  of  blossoms. 


44  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Thougli  tlie  Xing  dropped  down  upon  tlie  Peace  Con- 
ference from  the  sky,  thougli  the  King  and  Queen  both 
went  to  England  for  a  royal  wedding  by  aeroplane,  though 
they  make  a  tour  of  the  United  States,  or  Brazil,  or  Spain, 
it  is  done  simply  and  for  a  definite  purpose.  They  use  the 
aeroplane  because  it  is  easier  and  quicker.  They  travel 
to  learn  and  to  promote  good  will.  The  non-theatrical  side 
of  the  King  w^as  never  better  put  than  by  Mark  Sullivan 
when  he  said:  "The  King  w^as  at  all  times  during  the 
war  merely  the  Chief  Engineer,  who  happened  to  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  job  w^hen  the  dam  broke."  That  means 
much  to  Americans  at  least.  When  I  remember  him  com- 
ing away  on  foot  from  a  fire  in  a  peasant's  cottage,  or  see 
again  his  long  figure  on  a  bicycle  hurrying  from  one  task 
to  another,  or  recall  him  on  a  motor  cycle,  in  a  motor  car 
or  on  horseback  as  occasion  demands,  I  see  a  man  intent 
on  a  great  job  who  happens  to  be  a  monarch  and  who  is 
presumably  owner  of  a  throne  and  a  crown  which  perhaps 
are  in  storage. 

Clemenceau  went  to  visit  the  Belgian  front  during  the 
last  year  of  the  war  and  the  King  w^ent  with  him  to  Nieu- 
port — almost  always  a  dangerous  place.  Many  a  brave 
fellow  had  been  killed  there.  As  they  left  their  cars  and 
started  to  walk  slowly  up  the  gentle  slope  to  the  ruins,  a 
German  shell  burst  near  them  on  the  right.  Then  a  sec- 
ond fell  on  the  left.  Another  burst  behind.  They  were 
in  the  center  of  a  bombardment.  Probably  their  arrival 
had  been  seen  from  the  Great  Dune  or  from  a  balloon. 
Aides  and  orderlies  were  greatly  excited  but  the  King  and 
Clemenceau  never  altered  their  pace  or  never  suspended 
their  talk.  They  went  along  quietly  until  they  reached 
a  dugout  under  a  wall  when  the  King  invited  his  guest  in, 
much  as  he  might  ask  him  in  out  of  a  shower. 

There  is  no  sham  or  humbug  or  pretense  about  Albert 
and  Elisabeth. 

The  King  did  not  dnsh  up  slopes.  He  walked  to  the 
business  in  hand. 


THE  KING  AND  THE  QUEEN  45 

It  made  the  Belgians  anxious  and  sometimes  angry 
to  think  of  the  chances  he  took  bnt  there  was  no  other 
way.  "My  life  is  no  more  precions  than  that  of  my  men," 
he  told  them.  He  knew  that  he  had  better  be  killed  than 
give  any  suspicion  that  he  was  holding  back.  So  he  never 
held  back. 

When  one  saw  the  King  and  Queen  come  back  into 
Brussels  after  four  years  on  the  Yser — four  years  of  blood 
and  death,  of  tragedy  and  loss — at  the  head  of  the  troops 
and  amid  the  shouts  and  tears  of  a  freed  people,  one  liked 
to  remember  what  he  said  to  the  Belgian  Parliament 
August  4,  1914:  "I  have  faith  in  our  destinies.  A  na- 
tion which  defends  itself  commands  the  respect  of  all. 
Such  a  nation  can  not  perish.  God  will  be  with  us  in  a 
just  cause." 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  Headquarters  Organization 

AT  Le  Havre,  the  new  organization  of  the  Commission 
to  Belgium  had  quickly  taken  form.  It  always  was 
small.  It  purposely  was  kept  small.  We  made  the  Bel- 
gians work  for  themselves,  a  thing  they  delighted  to  do. 
We  got  together  a  small  staff  of  inspectors,  accountants 
and  clerks  and  finally  the  doctors  and  nurses  for  children's 
work.  If  we  could  have  had  Major  Moten  of  Tuskegee 
and  a  hundred  of  his  men  who  know  how  to  do  real  things 
or  one  hundred  Hampton  hoys  we  would  have  taken  them 
at  any  time.  If  we  could  have  had  more  surgeons  and 
nurses  and  nurse's  aids  for  the  time  of  activity  on  the 
front  and  more  doctors  and  nurses  for  civil  hospital  work, 
we  would  have  taken  them  also. 

In  Paris  late  in  Augxist,  1917,  we  saw  some  twenty 
accountants  and  bookkeepers  arrive  at  the  Hotel  Vouille- 
mont,  late  at  night,  just  off  the  ship,  and  one  of  them, 
Francis  de  Sales  Mulvey,  was  assigned  to  us.  Mulvey 
did  stenography,  typewriting,  and  general  office  work 
until  we  could  get  hold  of  an  office  force,  and  then  took 
entire  supervision  of  the  accounts.  Mulvey  was  one  of  the 
men  who  would  work  until  midnight  to  finish  papers  and 
bring  them  to  a  five  o'clock  morning  train  for  signature. 

"It  is  bad  business,"  so  it  is  said,  "to  have  the  wife  or 
members  of  the  family  of  a  chief  about  an  office."  But 
war  makes  new  rules.  In  an  emergency  every  available 
hand  counts,  and  people  of  sense  can  fit  in  anywhere. 
Mrs.  Bicknell  and  her  daughters,  Constance  and  Alberte, 
arriving  late  in  September,  speedily  found  work  with  us 
and  stayed  in  Europe  the  greater  part  of  three  years. 

46 


THE  HEADQUARTERS  ORGANIZATION         47 

Mrs.  Bicknell  became  head  of  the  Department  of  Re- 
search and  Private  Secretary  of  the  Commissioner,  The 
daughters  did  children's  work  at  Le  Glandier,  the  school 
of  the  Queen,  and  at  Le  Havre.  All  three  were  valuable 
assets. 

By  the  end  of  October  we  had  Captain  Philip  Horton 
Smith,  a  Boston  architect,  at  the  job  of  constructing  ware- 
houses at  Adinkerke.  In  N"ovember,  Captain  Ernest  W. 
Corn,  a  Christian  clergyman,  joined  us  and  was  made 
head  of  the  Bureau  of  Refugee  Service.  He  also  did 
effective  emergency  work  in  charge  of  warehouses  when  we 
entered  Bruges. 

By  January  1,  1918,  we  had  hold  of  Dr.  Park  and  Miss 
Wilcox  for  the  baby  saving  work,  and  they  were  joined  by 
Miss  Damon,  in  March,  an  Hawaiian  American,  whose 
executive  ability  kept  things  moving  at  the  Salle  Franklin. 

Doctor  Leonard  Chester  Jones,  of  ISTew  York,  had  been 
in  Switzerland  and  had  taken  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Phi- 
losophy at  Geneva.  He  had  been  working  in  the  Pass 
Bureau  of  the  Paris  office,  but  we  got  him  free  in  March, 
1918,  and  he  was  made  First  Aide  to  the  Commissioner, 
and  later  office  manager,  proving  himself  a  very  valuable 
man.  That  summer  of  '18  he  hurried  to  Switzerland  and 
married  a  charming  Swiss  lady  whose  experience  in  the 
International  Red  Cross  and  whose  knowledge  of  lan- 
guages were  very  useful  to  us. 

Major  J.  Wideman  Lee,  Jr.,  of  ISTew  York  City,  a 
trained  publicity  man,  now  President  of  the  George  L. 
Dyer  Company,  was.  sent  to  us  in  July,  1918,  to  write  up 
our  work  and  make  it  easier  for  headquarters  at  Washing- 
ton to  raise  the  huge  sums  w^e  required.  He  soon  showed 
his  long  business  training  and  great  driving  power,  and  in 
the  absence  of  the  Commissioners  ran  the  office,  as  well 
as  his  own  department  of  Public  Information.  He  was 
made  Deputy  Commissioner  in  October,  1918,  and  when 
he  left  Belgium  in  1918  received  the  Order  of  the  Crown 
from  the  King.    General  Atterbury,  who  knew  his  ability, 


48  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

offered  him  work  with  the  S.O.S.  of  the  army,  and  an 
army  commission  and  salary,  which  he  refused,  because 
of  his  conviction  that  he  was  more  needed  with  us.  The 
Commissioner  could  not  have  remained  so  constantly  at 
work  in  the  field  if  he  had  not  had  a  man  of  such  loyalty 
and  executive  ability  as  Major  Lee  to  leave  sitting  at  the 
center  of  things. 

John  AV.  Gummere,  of  "New  York,  was  one  of  the  theo- 
logical students  in  the  Episcopal  Seminary  who  did  not 
want  any  exemption  from  war  service.  He  drove  an  am- 
bulance in  '16  and  '17,  and  came  to  us  in  '17  as  our  repre- 
sentative at  the  Paris  office,  putting  through  our  requisi- 
tions for  goods  and  acting  for  us  at  headquarters.  Later 
he  was  transferred  to  La  Panne  in  Flanders,  and  put  in 
charge  of  our  warehouses.  He  next  came  to  Le  Havre 
as  director  of  work  for  children,  but  soon  went  to  the 
Balkans  as  Aide  to  Colonel  Bicknell.  He  is  now  the 
Reverend  John  W.  Gummere,  Rector  of  St.  Paul's  Epis- 
copal Church,  Bound  Brook,  ISTew  Jersey,  a  big,  fine  fel- 
low, well  fitted  to  "show  faith  by  works." 

So  the  machine  was  gradually  built.  From  all  over  the 
earth,  people  of  different  temperaments  and  abilities  and 
widely  differing  experiences  were  brought  together.  Here 
was  a  French  clerk  who  had  been  all  shot  to  pieces  in  the 
trenches.  Here  was  a  little  girl  of  Polish  parentage,  a 
stenographer,  whose  home  was  Paris,  and  whose  national- 
ity was  English,  and  who  left  us  at  last  to  marry  an 
Australian.  Here  was  a  French  stenographer  who  mar- 
ried a  gallant  young  American  officer  she  had  met  in  Le 
Havre.  Llere  was  a  square  built  Englishman,  MacDonald, 
who  came  to  audit  the  books,  and  who  knew  neither  friend 
nor  foe  in  his  task. 

For  a  year,  the  Havre  office  was  in  the  Hotel  des 
Regates,  with  one  of  the  loveliest  of  views  over  across  the 
bay  to  Deauville  and  Trouville,  and  with  the  music  of  the 
waves  on  the  beach.  Then  for  six  weeks  we  were  at  123 
rue  d'Etretat,  and  things  were  happening  at  the  front 


THE  HEADQUARTERS  ORGANIZATION         49 

which  made  it  certain  that  this  was  only  a  provisional 
arrangement.  From  N'ovember  1  to  22,  we  were  installed 
in  Bruges,  with  all  the  refuse  of  the  German  soldiers  to 
clear  away,  and  with  great  German-built  stoves  to  keep 
us  warm.  On  ISTovember  22,  w^e  established  our  office  at 
Brussels,  where  the  Commissioner  had  been  established 
two  days  before  the  Germans  evacuated  the  city, — getting 
from  the  Comite  National  quarters  at  54  rue  des  Colonies. 

Headquarters  life  at  Le  Havre  gave  one  a  pleasant,  but 
not  a  "soft"  job  by  any  means. 

There  was  a  constant  stream  of  visitors  to  be  dealt  with. 

Letters  in  French,  Flemish  and  English  w^ere  piled  up 
every  morning  to  be  sorted  and  answered. 

Applications  for  help  came  in  every  day  from  individ- 
uals, from  societies  or  from  the  government. 

Appropriations  began  to  go  through,  hastened  by  prompt 
action  in  Paris,  upon  our  recommendations  and  by  close 
cable  connection  between  Paris  and  Washington.  The 
first  money  spent  was  upon  children.  Money  for  supplies 
and  warehouses  quickly  followed.  Then  came  the  appro- 
priations for  refugees  and  military  relief. 

Every  six  months  there  was  a  budget  to  make  for  the 
next  six  months,  and  to  make  a  budget  for  relief  work  in 
war  time  in  a  foreign  land,  one  had  to  be  both  a  relief 
worker  and  a  mind  reader. 

There  were  reports  to  get  off  for  the  Commissioner  to 
Europe  and  through  him  to  the  whole  United  States. 

There  were  important  people  to  receive  and  take  about. 

Le  Havre  was  on  one  of  the  main  routes  between  London 
and  Paris,  that  via  Southampton.  It  was  a  never  ending 
source  of  delight  to  see  the  sorts  and  conditions  of  men 
who  went  through. 

Ked  Cross  people,  like  Major  Stanley  Field,  were  going 
to  England  to  buy  supplies.  Paul  Kainey,  the  great  ani- 
mal photographer  and  hunter,  was  going  home.  Chevril- 
lon,  Hoover's  agent  in  Paris,  the  talented  Frenchman  who 
helped  the  Red  Cross  get  started  in  France  was  off  for  a 


50  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

conference  witli  his  London  office.  Miss  Mabel  T.  Board- 
man  was  coming  to  study  Red  Cross  work  in  France,  Bel- 
gium, Italy  and  England ;  Mrs.  Whitelaw  Reid  was  going 
back  to  London  to  ''carry  on"  tbere  throughout  the  war; 
English  Quakers  were  taking  the  boat  to  go  on  leave. 
Edward  T.  Devine  was  coming  for  work  with  Major 
Folks  in  Paris.  Paul  Kellogg  had  finished  a  job  for  the 
Red  Cross  in  Italy  and  was  on  his  way  back  to  ISTew  York. 
Major  Byrne,  Deputy  Commissioner  for  Italy,  was  on  a 
mission  to  London.  Captain  Twose,  of  the  Red  Cross 
Commission  to  Roumania,  was  headed  for  Boulogne ;  Mc- 
Lanahan  or  Pomeroy,  of  the  Boulogne  office,  were  down 
for  a  conference, — and  so  it  went.  Every  one  had  a 
different  experience  and  a  different  errand.  Army  people, 
navy  people,  relief  people  of  all  nations  streamed  back 
and  forth  through  Le  Havre  and  the  Commissioner  saw 
many  of  them. 

No  more  heartening  visits  were  made  than  those  of  our 
own  national  officers  from  Paris  or  Washington.  Henry 
P.  Davison  was  hurrying  back  and  forth  across  the  At- 
lantic, urging  things  forward  everywhere.  Ivy  L,  Lee 
came  and  made  a  speech  which  revealed  for  the  first  time 
to  us  how  practically  the  whole  United  States  had  enlisted 
in  the  Red  Cross,  and  it  gave  us  new  power. 

Eliot  Wadsworth  of  the  War  Council,  and  George  Sim- 
mons, Manager  of  the  Southwestern  Division,  Perkins 
and  Gibson,  successive  Commissioners  for  all  Europe, 
cheered  us  on  and  helped  us  see  more  clearly  the  direc- 
tion to  take. 

In  the  year  and  more  that  headquarters  were  at  Le 
Havre,  the  city  gradually  took  on  a  different  aspect  for 
Americans.  The  American  Army  came.  An  American 
base  was  established  with  General  Coulter  in  command. 
Americans  arriving  and  departing  had  to  report  there. 
The  little  Southhampton  boat  began  to  come  in  loaded 
with  American  officers.  At  last  American  Army  trans- 
ports began  to  dock  at  Le  Havre,  and  long  lines  of  Ameri- 


THE  HEADQUARTERS  ORGANIZATION         51 

can  troops  began  to  march  off  to  the  rest  camp.  The  Paris 
office  of  the  American  Red  Cross  put  men  at  Le  Havre 
to  render  service  to  these  troops,  and  all  our  supplies  and 
all  our  personnel  were  at  the  service  of  the  Americans. 
'No  order  for  this  had  to  be  given.  With  every  man,  the 
American  job  was  the  first  job. 

The  ladies  of  the  Commission  did  not  content  them- 
selves with  translations  and  other  office  work,  but  estab- 
lished relations  with  the  British,  French  and  Belgian 
military  soldiers  in  Le  Havre,  visiting  the  soldiers,  carry- 
ing fruit,  cigarettes  and  chocolate  and  other  little  gifts. 
A  Committee  of  Belgian  and  American  ladies  took  re- 
sponsibility for  this  form  of  welfare  work  for  the  Belgian 
hospital  in  the  rue  Ancelot,  and  the  Red  Cross  helped 
finance  it.  On  this  committee  were  Madame  Paul  Hy- 
mans,  Madame  Renkin,  the  Countess  Goblet  d'Alviella, 
Mademoiselle  Helene  Goblet  d'  Alviella,  Madame  Bassom- 
pierre,  Madame  Jean  de  Mot,  and  Mrs.  John  van  Schaick, 
Jr. 

Another  Committee  of  American  ladies  for  hospital 
work  was  under  the  chairmanship  of  Mrs.  John  Ball  Os- 
borne, wife  of  the  American  Consul  at  Le  Havre,  who  co- 
operated so  faithfully  with  us.  It  consisted  of  Mrs. 
Ernest  P.  Bicknell,  Mrs.  William  Mathews,  Mrs.  John  de 
Mot,  Mrs.  Louis  Orrell,  Mrs.  Bradford,  and  Mrs.  van 
Schaick.  Mrs.  Whitlock,  while  not  a  member  of  this 
Committee,  helped  them  and  did  herculean  service  by  her- 
self along  the  same  line.  These  ladies,  financed  by  the 
Commission  for  Belgium,  carried  fruit  and  comforts  to 
the  American  soldiers  in  the  hospitals  of  Le  Havre,  not 
forgetting  the  allied  comrades  who  often  lay  by  the  side 
of  the  Americans. 

In  the  great  rush  of  wounded  from  the  battles  of  July, 
1918,  these  ladies  were  very  busy.  Mrs.  van  Schaick 
went  into  the  French  Military  Hospital  at  the  Hotel 
Frascati,  which  was  caring  for  wounded  American  sol- 
diers, and  worked  as  a  nurse's  aid  for  some  weeks.     The 


52  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

hospitals  did  not  have  personnel  to  handle  the  patients. 
Doctors  and  nurses  were  overworked,  doing  only  the  most 
essential  things.  Besides,  most  of  them  did  not  speak 
English  and  our  boys  did  not  speak  French.  The  number 
of  little  things  a  person  entirely  untrained  can  do  as  a 
nurse's  aid  at  such  a  time  is  indicated  by  the  following 
list  kept  at  Frascati: 

"Took  down  records  of  the  wounded  American  soldiers, 
four  papers  for  each.  Collected  patients'  letters,  took 
them  to  censor,  who  was  a  wounded  officer  on  top  floor. 
Translated  a  letter  written  in  Italian  into  English,  so 
censor  could  pass  on  it.  Got  the  passes  for  the  slightly 
wounded  going  out.  Fed  soldiers  helpless  through  wounds 
in  hands  or  arms,  or  very  ill.  Gave  out  newspapers,  fruit, 
matches,  cigarettes  and  writing  paper.  Handed  out  uni- 
forms for  men  going  out  for  the  day  and  other  clothing 
like  socks  and  underwear.  Washed  feet.  Prepared  spe- 
cial soup  on  alcohol  lamp.  Bathed  very  ill  men  on  head 
and  hands  with  cologne.  Put  into  English  lists  of  surgical 
appliances  and  material  the  French  surgeons  were  asking 
of  the  American  Red  Cross.  Attended  funerals  of  the 
boys  who  died  and  was  the  only  woman  at  the  grave  of 
some  of  them.  Got  the  wreaths  for  these  funerals,  tied 
them  with  our  colors  and  put  them  on  the  casket.  Brought 
back  the  American  flag  from  the  grave.  Wrote  to  fami- 
lies of  the  dead  boys.  Prepared  little  boxes  in  which  boys 
could  keep  bullets  or  pieces  of  shell  taken  out  of  them. 
Helped  an  American  sergeant  entertain  his  French  sweet- 
heart and  her  mother  who  had  come  to  visit  him.  Tele- 
phoned. Sorted,  counted  and  sent  out  dirty  linen.  Got 
men  ready  to  take  motor  rides.  Wrote  letters  for  men. 
Interpreted  for  doctors,  nurses  and  patients.  Mended 
clothes.     Picked  up  trash." 

In  this  hospital  Mrs.  Barton  and  Mrs.  Carstairs,  two 
English  ladies,  had  helped  as  nurse's  aids  for  two  years. 
Mrs.  Barton,  wife  of  a  Colonel  in  the  British  Army, 
was  an  American,  born  in  Princeton,  Isew  Jersey.     She 


THE  HEADQUARTERS  ORGANIZATION         53 

had  lived  iu  India,  Africa  and  England  so  long  that,  as 
she  put  it,  "I  believed  I  had  lost  all  my  Americanism. 
But  when  I  saw  the  first  American  wounded,  I  knew  that 
I.  could  never  lose  my  feeling  for  my  native  country." 


CHAPTEK  VIII 

Getting  Started  in  Flanders 

I!^!^  all  effective  charity  or  relief  work,  it  is  accepted  as 
a  fundamental  that  nothing  shall  be  done  for  a  man 
which  he  can  do  for  himself,  that  every  effort  shall  be 
made  to  cheer  and  encourage  those  in  distress,  that  the 
work  done  shall  be  adequate  to  the  need,  and  carried  on 
until  the  need  is  met,  that  neighbors  and  friends  should 
be  encouraged  to  take  the  lead  in  doing  what  is  necessary, 
and  that  relief  organizations  and  their  workers  should 
keep  in  the  background. 

The  first  Commissioner  for  Belgium,  Colonel  Bicknell, 
had  had  a  greater  experience  in  relief  work  at  home  and 
abroad  than  anyone  else  in  the  Red  Cross  organization.  He 
believed  that  the  fundamentals  of  relief  do  not  change  in 
war  time  or  in  the  foreign  field.  From  the  beginning  he 
was  insisting:  "Use  the  French  and  Belgian  Committees 
and  their  Red  Cross  Societies.  Cooperate  with  them. 
Strengthen  them.  Take  advantage  of  their  long  experi- 
ence in  the  war  and  their  knowledge  of  their  own  people. 
Let  us  do  our  work  largely  through  them,  use  our  in- 
fluence to  effect  mergers,  get  rid  of  competition,  and  bring 
about  the  highest  efficiency.  Then  let  us  pour  our  money 
and  supplies  through  their  channels.  If  we  do  this,  when 
we  leave  any  country,  we  won't  make  a  great  gap  which 
it  will  discourage  the  people  to  fill,  but  we  will  leave  local 
organizations  stronger  than  we  found  them  and  more  able 
to  do  what  we  have  to  leave  undone." 

It  is  the  opinion  of  his  colleagues  in  the  work  that 
the  principles  which  he  laid  down  are  sound  principles 

54 


GETTING  STARTED  IN  FLANDERS  55 


and  that  future  Red  Cross  work  in  war  and  in  peace — 
abroad  and  at  home — must  be  based  upon  them. 

"Work/'  said  he  from  the  first  day,  "through  the  govern- 
ment, and  the  existing  agencies.  Keep  personnel  at  a 
minimum.  Don't  let  us  load  up  with  a  great  number 
of  people  whom  we  can't  use.  Get  experienced  workers. 
When  our  people  get  here,  put  them  in  alongside  the 
foreign  worker,  first  to  learn,  and  then  to  help." 

But  some  tasks  were  obviously  American  almost  ex- 
clusively, from  the  beginning. 

In  both  France  and  Belgium,  there  was  need  of  supplies 
of  all  kinds  and  of  transport  so  as  to  place  them  Vv^here 
they  were  wanted.  Finance,  purchase  and  transport  were 
distinctly  American  jobs  to  be  done  by  American  work- 
ers. The  Paris  oSice  built  up  an  able  staff  for  finance,  ac- 
counting, purchase  and  transportation  and  directed  that 
these  be  at  the  service  of  Belgium,  Italy  and  the  other 
countries,  as  well  as  France. 

There  was  a  shortage  in  personnel  along  some  lines 
from  the  moment  we  landed  until  the  end  of  the  war. 
There  were  never  too  many  people,  for  example,  able  to 
repair  automobiles.  There  were  never  too  many  nurses, 
especially  those  willing  to  nurse  contagion  among  sick 
civilians  as  well  as  to  care  for  soldiers.  There  was  urgent 
need  from  the  beginning  of  sending  men  in  American  uni- 
form among  the  soldiers  and  civilians  to  let  them  know 
that  "the  Americans  are  here." 

To  build  up  an  organization  able  to  do  what  the  Bel- 
gians could  not  do  and  not  to  attempt  to  take  their  places 
in  what  they  could  do  and  ought  to  do  was  our  problem. 

At  Havre,  the  Belgian  Ministers  talked  things  over  with 
us  and  agreed  with  Colonel  Bicknell  that  an  important  task 
would  be  to  bring  in  supplies  of  food  and  clothing,  drugs, 
dressings  and  bandages,  and  place  these  where  they  could 
be  quickly  made  available  in  case  of  need. 

We  were  faced  with  the  choice  every  military  com- 
mander had  to  make,  whether  to  have  things  which  we 


56  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

needed  back  wliere  they  would  be  safe  but  inaccessible,  or 
forward  and  more  or  less  in  danger  of  being  captured 
or  destroyed  by  the  enemy. 

The  Belgian  Minister  of  the  Interior  had  placed  stores 
at  Conchil  near  Montreuil-sur-mer,  fifty  miles  from  the 
front.  We  decided  to  establish  stores  of  clothing  at  Le 
Havre  for  the  use  of  refugees  but  to  place  such  food  and 
hospital  supplies  as  we  could  get,  as  well  as  part  of  the 
clothing,  near  the  front.  If  the  enemy  moved  forward 
and  there  was  a  rush  of  new  refugees,  or  if  the  Allies 
moved  forward  and  Belgian  civilians  were  liberated,  or  if 
the  Germans  should  separate  the  British  and  Belgian 
Armies  from  the  French  and  cut  us  oif  from  our  stores  at 
Paris  and  Le  Havre — these  stores  at  the  front  would  be 
invaluable. 

With  the  Ministers  Berryer  and  Vandevyvere,  we 
studied  maps  and  could  see  only  one  place  to  locate  store- 
houses for  Belgium,  and  that  was  Dunkirk.  It  was  the 
seaport  nearest  the  trenches.  It  had  plenty  of  empty 
warehouses  and  we  were  determined  to  rent  if  possible  and 
not  spend  time  and  money  in  building,  especially  as  we 
had  neither  carpenters,  hardware  nor  lumber. 

Dunkirk  was  near  enough  for  one  great  purpose.  What 
was  passing  in  our  minds  may  be  seen  by  this  remark  of 
Colonel  Bicknell  to  M.  Vandevyvere,  the  Belgian  Minister 
of  Finance.  "If  we  get  done  with  trench  war  and  the 
armies  move,  then  is  the  time  we  will  need  these  sup- 
plies. But  just  at  that  time  the  roads  will  be  blocked  by 
troops  of  all  kinds,  railroads  will  be  overworked,  and  trucks 
simply  will  not  be  available  to  haul  from  Paris  or  Le 
Havre.  If  we  expect  to  be  of  service,  we  have  got  to  have 
our  stuff  where  we  can  get  it ;  we  must  take  risks." 

When  we  decided  to  put  stores  at  the  front  and  to  go  to 
pick  out  a  spot,  the  government  acted  quickly.  The  Min- 
ister of  War  gave  us  a  fast  closed  car  with  one  of  his 
best  drivers.  The  Minister  of  the  Interior  called  up  the 
frontier  guard  at  Ghy^^elde,  200  miles  away,  to  advise 


GETTING  STARTED  IN  FLANDERS  57 

them  thcat  we  were  coming  without  waiting  for  passes.  At 
the  same  time  he  telegraphed  to  Monsieur  Jean  Maes  to 
meet  us  in  Dunkirk  to  help  us,  M.  Maes,  a  member  of 
the  Belgian  Parliament,  living  at  Rousbrugge  in  Free 
Belgium,  was  acting  as  an  officer  of  the  Minister  of  the 
Interior  in  charge  of  food  supplies  for  the  civilian  inhab- 
itants of  Free  Belgium.  We  had  reached  Le  Havre  and 
opened  headquarters  Monday,  September  3.  On  Tuesday, 
we  had  had  our  conference.  By  Wednesday  at  7  P.  M. 
we  rolled  into  Dunkirk,  212  miles  north.  We  were  im- 
pressed at  once  with  dark,  silent  streets  and  people  seek- 
ing shelter  in  cellars.  By  8 :45  P.  M.  we  understood  why 
and  also  why  the  Belgian  Ministers  had  appeared  some- 
what reluctant  for  us  personally  to  stay  in  Dunkirk  very 
long.  The  Germans  came  over  with  several  planes  and 
many  bombs.  We  went  down  and  foolishly  stood  in  the 
big  open  door  of  the  hotel  quite  alone.  There  I  might 
easily  have  lost  my  chief  as  a  machine  gun  bullet  hit  his 
shoe  a  glancing  blow.  Luckily,  this  was  all  that  hit  us. 
The  battle  raged  between  aviators  and  anti-air  craft  bar- 
rage with  terrifying  noise,  houses  were  crashing,  but 
clanging  down  the  dark  streets  through  it  all  came  the 
ambulances  of  the  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit,  which  we 
afterward  were  to  know  so  well,  "on  a  work  of  love  in  the 
midst  of  war." 

The  next  night,  Thursday,  September  6,  I  made  the 
following  entry  in  my  diary: 

"More  excitement  tonight.  Another  alerte  just  after  we 
got  to  bed.  (One  more  by  aviators  and  one  by  long  range 
gun  later  in  the  night.)  Dunkirk  beats  the  world  for 
sirens.  Spent  the  whole  day  on  that  warehouse  matter. 
It  was  a  revelation  to  us  to  go  down  to  the  docks  this 
morning  and  to  find  that  the  building  we  were  after  was 
a  smoking  ruin  with  huge  chunks  of  masonry  blown  in 
every  direction  by  a  powerful  bomb  dropped  by  an  aviator. 
Don't  hardly  know  what  to  do.    Maes  said  simply  'formi- 


58  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

dable,'  which  seems  to  be  French  for  terrific  or  unbelieva- 
ble, or  'the  limit.'  " 

The  best  advice  we  could  get,  British,  French,  Belgian, 
as  well  as  that  of  our  own  Consular  Agent  was  against 
putting  stores  in  Dunkirk.  Stores  were  coming  into  the 
port  every  week  but  people  did  not  leave  them  around  the 
docks  or  in  the  city  longer  than  necessary.  Dunkirk  then, 
as  throughout  the  war,  was  a  city  especially  picked  out  for 
attack. 

At  La  Panne,  in  Free  Belgium,  only  seven  miles  from 
the  trenches,  we  found  conditions  little  better.  My  own 
record  puts  it  as  follows  under  date  of  September  7 : 

"Bicknell  and  I  came  into  Belgium  today  after  calling 
on  Mordey,  Adjutant  of  the  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit. 
Went  to  the  Ocean  Hospital  and  found  that  it  had  just 
been  shelled.  My  room  was  full  of  broken  glass.  Two 
men  were  killed.  Two  nurses  hurt.  They  have  had  a 
shell  in  the  storeroom  and  a  bomb  in  the  street  back  of  the 
hospital." 

There  was  no  port  at  La  Panne.  I^othing  but  fishing 
boats  landed  on  the  beach. 

We  took  up  the  matter  of  a  location  of  the  stores  with 
the  Belgian  Chief  of  Staff.  He  assigned  an  Engineer 
Officer  to  help  us. 

Major  Cobra  and  Commandant  Vierset  of  the  Head- 
quarters Staff,  Colonel  ISTolf,  Director  of  the  Belgian  Mili- 
tary Hospital  at  Cabour,  and  Jean  Steyaert,  Commissaire 
of  the  Arrondissement  of  Furnes,  walked  many  miles 
helping  us  study  the  various  sites  proposed.  Commandant 
LI.  Dustin  and  Commandant  Vierset,  in  charge  of  Belgian 
Army  supplies,  put  what  material  they  had  available  at 
our  service,  so  that  w^e  would  not  be  delayed  too  much 
getting  started. 

We  decided  to  give  up  the  idea  of  a  seaport,  to  put  our 
stores  in  Belgium  instead  of  France,  and  in  the  open  coun- 
try instead  of  a  town  which  was  more  likely  to  be  at- 
tacked. 


GETTING  STARTED  IN  FLANDERS  59 

When  we  started  looking  for  locations,  we  found  the 
same  kind  of  difficulties  which  one  confronts  in  Washing- 
ton, or  iSTew  York,  or  anywhere  else,  when  one  wants  to 
locate  a  municipal  hospital  or  school  for  tubercular  chil- 
dren. Each  neighborhood  wants  another  neighborhood 
chosen,  "Don't  put  it  near  the  children's  colony  or  the 
hospital,  for  it  will  draw  the  German  shells  or  the  bombs 
of  aviators."  "Please  don't  take  my  field,  kind  gentlemen, 
as  it  is  the  only  field  I  have  for  my  cow."  These  were 
the  kind  of  things  we  heard.  One  place  was  too  dangerous 
— another  place  was  too  wet.  A  third  place  was  too  inac- 
cessible, and  so  it  went.  At  last  we  settled  on  both  Adin- 
kerke  and  Cabour,  partly  on  the  principle  that  it  is  best 
not  to  put  "one's  eggs  all  in  a  single  basket,"  and  partly 
on  the  principle  that  "Man  proposes  and  God  disposes," 
and  there  was  no  place  at  the  front  where  the  eggs  could 
be  absolutely  safe. 

The  man  who  superintended  the  putting  up  of  our 
warehouses  at  the  front  was  Captain  Philip  Horton  Smith, 
a  Boston  architect  who  in  the  latter  part  of  the  war  was 
busy  putting  up  hospitals  and  storehouses  for  the  army. 
When  I  picked  him  up  at  Calais,  October  19,  1917,  and 
started  with  him  up  through  the  British  Zone,  and  dis- 
covered that  he  had  no  passes,  I  was  thoroughly  irritated 
about  it.  When  I  saw  later  how  people  were  delayed  get- 
ting passes  in  Paris,  I  gave  Smith  a  big  credit  mark  for 
starting  without  them.  It  was  a  simple  matter  to  fix  him 
up  when  we  got  to  Major  Tinant,  Surete  Militaire  Beige. 

The  barracks  came  up  by  rail  in  sections,  from  the  Con- 
struction Department  of  the  American  Bed  Cross  in  Paris 
and  Smith  had  the  cooperation  and  help  of  Major  Emer- 
son, head  of  that  department,  in  this  first  job. 

There  were  all  kinds  of  delays  but  Smith  showed  grit 
and  patience  and  in  the  next  seven  months  got  9  bar- 
racks erected,  each  100  ft.  long  and  20  ft.  wide. 

Smith  himself  wrote  of  the  work  as  follows : 

"We  worked  with  the  Belgian  Army,  which  loaned  us 


60  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

a  gang  of  soldiers  under  the  able  command  of  Lieutenant 
Koelandt  of  Gand.  We  were  also  greatly  assisted  in  ob- 
taining material  by  the  Belgian  Army  authorities,  who 
cooperated  with  us  at  every  turn  in  the  most  gratifying 
manner. 

"We  encountered  great  difficulties,  owing  to  our  work 
being  in  the  zone  of  activities  and  were  very  lucky  in 
narrowly  escaping  the  destruction  of  our  barracks  and 
hospitals  on  numerous  occasions,  notably  in  the  great  day- 
light raid  of  early  ISTovember,  1917,  when  we  were  heavily 
bombed,  one  missile  falling  only  a  few  yards  from  the 
work  then  going  on. 

"Personally,  in  spite  of  the  discomforts  and  great  diffi- 
culties of  every  sort  which  I  encountered  in  carrying 
through  my  part  of  the  work  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion, 
I  look  back  on  those  months  spent  in  Belgium  with  the 
greatest  pleasure.  I  never  got  entangled  in  the  miles  of 
red  tape  that  hampered  other  departments. 

"I  am  grateful  for  having  had  the  opportunity  of  com- 
ing in  contact  with  the  Belgians,  a  people  whom  I  greatly 
admire.  Seeing  them  as  I  did,  in  the  midst  of  discom- 
fort and  terror,  cut  off  from  their  homes  and  communi- 
cation with  their  loved  ones,  enduring  privation  and  often 
with  a  lack  of  proper  appreciation  and  understanding 
from  their  Allies,  I  came  to  have  a  gi'eat  affection  based 
on  respect  and  admiration  for  this  fine,  clean,  sturdy, 
honest,  and  industrious  people." 

We  put  Lieutenant  John  Gummere  in  charge  of  filling 
the  barracks.  In  the  summer  of  1918,  shipments  were 
stopped  on  account  of  the  German  advance.  We  made 
arrangements  to  blow  up  the  barracks  if  the  Germans  came 
so  fast  that  we  could  not  get  the  stores  away. 

We  refused,  however,  to  accept  the  advice  of  some  Bel- 
gians and  a  few  Americans  visiting  this  front  to  evacuate 
at  once  on  account  of  the  danger. 

In  this  same  summer  of  19 IS,  we  began  to  draw  on 
these  stores  to  feed  refugees. 


GETTING  STARTED  IN  FLANDERS  61 

At  the  same  time  we  turned  over  two  of  tlie  barracks 
nearest  Cabour  to  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  for  a  refu- 
gee clearing  station  which  he  operated  in  conjunction  with 
the  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit. 

In  the  fall  of  1918,  when  the  army  and  hospitals  moved 
forward,  and  Belgium  from  the  jSTorth  Sea  to  the  Scheldt 
was  liberated,  these  supplies  were  worth  almost  their 
weight  in  gold  to  us. 

As  we  had  foreseen,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  get 
things  up  from  Paris  at  this  time.  As  we  fed  refugees, 
supplied  hospitals,  and  distributed  condensed  milk  for 
children,  we  were  thankful  that  our  Commissioner,  Colonel 
Bicknell,  had  been  an  old,  experienced  relief  worker,  'that 
he  had  insisted  on  these  stores  far  up  at  the  front,  that 
he  had  never  listened  to  advice  to  move  them  back,  or 
abandon  the  warehouses  when  things  looked  threatening. 
He  had  two  remarks  for  such  occasions : 

"We've  no  business  in  this  war  if  we  are  not  willing 
to  take  chances,"  and  "Things  never  are  as  bad  as  repre- 
sented." 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  Hospital  of  tlie  Queen 


(C 


THE  Hospital  of  the  Queen,"  "The  Hospital  of  Dr. 
Depage,"  and  the  "Ocean  Hospital"  were  names 
variously  given  to  the  main  hospital  of  the  Belgian  Red 
Cross  Society  at  La  Panne. 

Like  so  much  in  recent  Belgian  history,  this  hospital 
dates  back  to  the  Battle  of  the  Yser,  with  its  thousands  of 
casualties  and  its  utter  lack  of  facilities  for  the  care  of  the 
wounded. 

Of  the  origin  Dr.  Depage  writes  as  follows : 

"Toward  the  end  of  J^ovemher,  1914,  after  the  battle 
of  the  Yser,  I  found  myself  in  Calais.  I  had  come  to  or- 
ganize there  the  hospital  'Jeanne  d'Arc'  with  the  funds 
put  at  my  disposal  by  the  Belgian  Red  Cross. 

"Queen  Elisabeth  in  the  course  of  a  visit  which  she  had 
made  to  our  wounded,  proposed  to  me  that  we  establish 
at  La  Panne  a  new  hospital  which  she  desired  to  see  cre- 
ated nearer  the  front  and  upon  Belgian  territory. 

"At  the  moment,  with  the  exception  of  the  Belgian 
Field  Hospital,  which  we  owe  to  the  generosity  of  the 
English  and  which  was  later  transferred  to  Hoogstade,  our 
only  surgical  hospital  in  the  zone  of  the  armies  was  at 
Furnes.  It  was  served  by  religious  sisters  whose  good  will 
could  not  supply  the  lack  of  professional  training.  Her 
Majesty  understood  the  great  advantage  that  there  would 
be  in  giving  competent  surgical  attention  to  the  severely 
wounded  before  an  evacuation  which  meant  a  long  journey 
by  automobile  or  railway  train. 

"I  accepted  Her  Majesty's  proposition  with  enthusiasm 
as  I  was  sure  that  in  realizing  her  ideals,  we  would  be 

62 


o 

X 

c 
n 

o 

o 
< 
a. 


o 


en 


fc 

u 

w 

^ 

G, 

4~t 

4> 

<u 

OJ 

-a 

WD 

ea 

— 

o 

J5 


C 


e 

3 

►J 

^ 

w 

<L> 

P5 

CJ 

•+H 

o 

n 

l-l 

cC 

c 

H 

_o 

Cfi 

C/3 

tt) 

CA 

'e 

W 

s 

^ 

o 

o 

CJ 

(J   -w 


fc 


THE  HOSPITAL  OF  THE  QUEEN  63 

able  to  make  a  notable  contribution  to  the  care  of  our 
wounded. 

"La  Panne  is  on  the  border  of  the  ISTortli  Sea,  ten  kilo- 
meters to  the  southwest  of  Nieuport  and  about  a  dozen 
kilometers  behind  the  trenches.  It  is  the  last  village  on 
the  Belgian  coast  before  the  frontier  of  France." 

The  Queen  secured  for  their  use  the  Ocean  Hotel  prop- 
erty on  the  beach. 

By  1917,  there  had  been  added  to  the  original  hotel 
building  at  least  forty  pavilions  or  barracks,  from  butchery 
to  chapel,  contributed  by  various  agencies.  There  were  the 
Pavilion  de  reception.  Pavilion  British,  Pavilion  Every- 
man, Pavilion  Alhert-Elisdbetli,  Pavilion  Americain. 

There  was  the  Institut  Marie  Depage,  and  on  a  lonely 
sand  dune  facing  the  ocean,  there  was  the  grave  of  Marie 
Depage  who  raised  money  for  the  hospital  in  America  in 
1915  and  lost  her  life  on  the  Lusitania  coming  home. 
Her  body  was  washed  ashore  on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  re- 
covered by  Dr.  Depage,  her  husband,  and  buried  at  La 
Panne  along  the  coast  just  above  the  hospital. 

This  lonely  coast  town  made  a  deep  impression  on  all 
who  saw  it  for  the  first  time  and  even  many  of  those  who 
lived  there  for  months  never  got  away  entirely  from  a  feel- 
ing of  awe.  Ugly  brick  and  wooden  buildings  strung 
along  the  beach,  and  on  streets  at  right  angles  to  it,  sol- 
diers quartered  in  villas  whose  windows  were  often  broken 
and  boarded  up,  nearly  everything  in  the  village  shabby 
or  half  destroyed — shells  of  houses  here  and  there  wrecked 
by  aviators  or  guns,  refugees  crowded  in  between  soldiers' 
barracks,  little  stores  thriving  when  they  could  get  any- 
thing to  sell,  two  hotels  carrying  on  though  both  had  been 
hit,  at  one  end  of  the  beach  the  two  modest  villas  of  the 
King  and  Queen  and  their  officers,  and  at  the  other  end 
toward  the  trenches — the  Ocean  Hospital — yet  this  was 
the  very  heart  and  soul  of  Belgium, — the  real  capital  of 
the  country. 

"I  knocked  tonight  at  Dr.  Depage's  door,"  one  of  our 


64  THE  LITTLE   CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

men  wrote  in  1917,  "and  for  a  time  no  one  came.  It  was 
very  dark  except  for  tlie  line  of  surf.  I  turned  and 
watched  the  ocean  rolling  in  and  thought  of  all  that  had 
happened  on  this  beach  since  the  days  of  the  early  IvTorth- 
men  and  of  how  many  men  had  'fought  in  Flanders.'  Off 
to  my  left  were  England  and  France  and  home.  Up  the 
coast  to  my  right,  there  were  the  Germans.  Star  shells 
find  gun  flashes  lit  up  the  night.  Behind  the  Germans 
were  Ostend  and  Ghent  and  our  dear  Belgian  friends  of 
other  days — so  near  we  could  have  motored  over  in  an 
hour,  and  yet  so  far,  with  the  trenches  between,  that  we 
may  never  see  them.  Then  the  door  opened  and  I  went  in 
to  a  man  who  may  have  sentiment  but  who  never  showed 
it,  and  who  never  for  one  instant  seemed  to  get  away 
from  the  tasks  of  the  Belgian  Red  Cross  Society." 

Antoine  Depage  was  physically  and  mentally  a  big  man. 
He  was  of  humble  origin  and  seemed  to  have  the  strength 
of  generations  of  Yikings  behind  him.  He  had  a  great 
frame  and  an  iron  will.  He  knew  surgery  and  medicine 
and  hospitals  and  he  knew  also  what  other  countries  had 
discovered  and  the  men  who  were  doing  things. 

He  had  fought  his  way  to  the  front  at  Brussels  in  his 
profession  before  the  war.  Distinguished  French,  English 
and  American  doctors  told  us  in  1917  what  Dr.  Carrel 
said  after  the  war:  "The  Ocean  Hospital  is  one  of  the 
greatest  hospitals  the  war  produced." 

The  secret  of  it  was  the  secret  of  good  work,  able  men 
and  the  best  equipment  money  could  buy. 

Depage  got  doctors  and  nurses  from  England,  France, 
Italy  and  the  United  States,  as  well  as  his  own  country. 
He  had  to  start  with  what  he  could  get,  but  he  never  let 
up  until  he  strengthened  weak  spots.  He  had  Levaditi,  a 
great  French  Bacteriologist,  De  Baisier  of  the  University 
of  Louvain,  Delray  of  the  University  of  Liege,  Vande- 
velde  of  the  University  of  Ghent,  Carl  Janssen  Dele,  Rene 
Sand,  Dustin  and  Zunz  of  the  University  of  Brussels — all 
great  specialists  and  all  playing  the  game. 


THE  HOSPITAL  OF  THE  QUEEN  65 

Dej)age  is  a  Liberal  and  now  after  the  war  is  a  Senator 
in  Parliament  of  the  Liberal  party,  but  he  made  a  hos- 
pital where  Catholics,  Liberals  and  Socialists  were  equally 
free  to  w^ork.  The  spirit  was  scientific,  not  limited  by 
country,  church  or  party.  Depage  proved  that  pure  science 
is  the  best  patriotism. 

,  Though  he  had  fought  the  good  fight  for  trained  nurses 
before  the  war,  like  a  sensible  man  he  took  what  he  could 
get  during  the  war — whether  trained  nurses  from  Eng- 
land, peasant  girls  from  Flanders,  or  cultured  ladies  of 
Brussels.  Given  a  person  of  good  health,  good  will,  and 
common  sense,  he  knew  he  could  make  a  nurse,  and  some 
of  these  so-called  "fancy  ladies"  stood  in  the  forefront  of 
this  exacting  profession  when  the  war  ended.  Madame  de 
Brockdorf  and  Madame  Jean  de  Mot,  both  of  whom  lost 
their  husbands  while  serving  here,  Madame  Carl  Janssen 
Dele  and  Madame  Maurice  Hanssens  did  especially  valu- 
able work  in  executive  positions. 

Dr.  Eugene  Poole  of  'New  York,  Dr.  Yehtes,  Dr.  Lee, 
and  Dr.  Moody  were  among  the  American  doctors  who 
helped  him,  and  Moody,  stricken  with  disease,  worked  in 
the  great  push  of  1918  until  he  was  literally  dying  and 
only  then  consented  to  go  away.  These  Belgian  doctors 
speak  very  tenderly  of  the  gallant  doctor  who  now  lies 
buried  in  the  south  of  France. 

Mrs.  Larz  Anderson  of  Washington,  Miss  White,  Miss 
Denning,  Mrs.  Snowden  of  Greenwich,  Mrs.  Dewitt  Mac- 
Kenzie,  and  Miss  Phylis  Moore  were  among  the  helpful 
American  ladies.  When  w^e  first  knew  the  hospital,  Captain 
Charles  Graux  was  business  manager,  and  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Maurice  Hanssens. 

But  here  was  a  Red  Cross  Society  with  practically  all 
its  contributors  and  workers  in  occupied  Belgium  under 
the  Germans.  So  there  were  two  branches  of  the  Society 
during  the  war : 

In  Brussels,  the  Countess  Jean  de  Merode,  President, 
held  things  together  and  was  able  to  accomplish  important 


66  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

things  for  prisoners  and  for  Belgian  soldiers  mutilated  in 
the  early  fighting  and  left  in  the  country. 

But  the  Grand  Protector — the  King,  and  the  Honorary 
President — the  Queen,  were  with  the  army.  They  helped 
make  a  new  organization  for  the  war.  General  Melis, 
Inspector  General  of  the  Service  de  Sante  of  the  Belgian 
Army  was  made  President.  Dr.  Depage  was  made  Di- 
rector, Mr.  G.  Didier  was  elected  Secretary,  and  he  opened 
an  office  first  at  Calais  and  then  in  Paris,  while  an  execu- 
tive committee  was  formed  of  Dr.  Depage,  Baron  Guffinet 
and  General  Melis. 

The  King  settled  in  short  order  the  question  of  the  mili- 
tary status  of  Belgian  Eed  Cross  doctors.  The  entire  Ked 
Cross  was  taken  into  the  military  establishment,  except 
the  contributed  funds  which  were  left  in  charge  of  the 
executive  committee. 

The  doctors  were  commissioned  in  the  army.  Dr. 
Depage  became  a  Colonel.  He  wore  the  uniform,  and  he 
had  the  insignia,  but  he  never  thought  of  himself  as  any- 
thing but  Head  Surgeon,  and  this  was  his  strength  and  his 
weakness.  He  paid  scant  attention  to  the  spirit  of  orders 
which  interfered — he  never  followed  along  the  paths  of 
army  red  tape,  he  made  some  of  the  military  men  almost 
froth  at  the  mouth  with  rage,  and  yet  he  was  too  big  and 
important  and  valuable  to  be  taken  out  and  shot  at  sunrise. 
When  real  tension  resulted,  there  was  the  little  Queen 
with  some  common  sense  solution,  or  the  King  with  a 
suggestion  which  Depage,  out  of  both  love  and  loyalty, 
would  be  quick  to  accept.  As  the  situation  worked  out, 
the  Belgian  Red  Cross  Society  had  practically  a  free  hand. 
Scientific  ideas  controlled.  The  doctors  were  free.  If 
they  needed  something,  a  way  was  found  to  get  it.  Of 
course  the  regular  army  establishment  felt  that  Depage 
and  the  Ocean  Hospital  got  the  pick  of  everything,  and 
they  did. 

The  Belgian  Red  Cross  Society  with  its  freedom  and 
its  funds  was  continually  getting  new  things  and  raising 


THE  HOSPITAL  OF  THE  QUEEN  67 

standards.  Instantly  there  was  a  demand  all  along  tbe 
line  for  those  same  new  things  and  one  way  or  another 
they  had  to  come. 

By  the  time  we  got  to  La  Panne  in  1917,  Depage  was 
in  trouble.  He  had  to  move  his  hospital,  his  funds  were 
exhausted,  and  England,  which  had  supported  him  so 
loyally,  was  unable  to  do  more. 

It  was  the  time  that  the  British  were  planning  for  their 
great  push  in  Flanders  to  force  the  evacuation  of  Ostend 
and  Zeebrugge,  the  bases  of  the  menacing  submarines. 
First  they  tried  it  along  the  coast,  straight  up  from  Nieu- 
port.  The  Belgians  moved  out  of  La  Panne  and  the  sector 
along  the  coast  and  the  British  moved  in.  In  a  night  old 
friendly  sentinels  were  replaced  by  smart  Tommies  who 
stopped  one  and  looked  one  all  over.  Old  passes  were  no 
good.  British  Generals  moved  into  the  villas  and  thou- 
sands of  British  soldiers  marched  or  played  on  the  sand. 

Foreseeing  this  in  time,  Dr.  Depage  had  put  all  his 
money  into  a  great  new  hospital  some  six  miles  inland  at 
Vinckem  or  Wulveringhem,  two  little  Flemish  villages 
side  by  side.  There  he  had  built  some  forty  or  fifty  new 
modern  barracks  and  a  few  larger  buildings  of  brick,  well 
lighted,  with  central  heat,  and  Avith  corridors  and  passages 
so  wide  that  it  seemed  wasteful.  Depage  explained  that 
a  second  row  of  cots  could  be  placed  in  these  corridors  and 
still  leave  room  to  pass.  It  seemed  fanciful  and  far- 
fetched, but  1918,  with  its  terrible  rush  of  wounded,  was 
to  fully  vindicate  this  so-called  extravagant  and  waste- 
ful man. 

Depage  had  spent  2,500,000  francs — all  he  had — on  his 
Vinckem  hospital,  and  it  was  still  unfinished.  He  hoped 
the  British  would  buy  his  Ocean  Hospital  at  La 
Panne.  They  said  they  wanted  it  but  the  price  was  too 
high  and  these  negotiations  fell  through.  What  we  had 
then  to  decide  was  whether  we  would  recommend  to  the 
American  Ked  Cross  in  Paris  that  they  give  the  Belgian 


68  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Red  Cross  a  million  with  wliicli  to  finisli  tlie  Viuckem 
hospital. 

There  was  for  it  the  support  of  the  Queen  who  wel- 
comed us  at  Vinckem  on  our  first  visit,  the  fact  that  the 
Belgians  had  to  get  out  of  La  Panne,  and  our  belief  in 
Depage's  theory  that  hospitals,  like  the  fighting  men,  must 
take  chances,  and  build  up  where  they  can  get  the  w^ounded 
quickly,  even  if  they  run  a  chance  of  being  destroyed. 
For  it  also  was  the  judgment  of  Doctor  Alexander  Lam- 
bert of  New  York  who  said  to  us : 

"Depage  is  a  great  man.  Some  of  them  hate  him  but 
they  can't  do  without  him.  Back  him  up.  He  may  be 
extravagant  but  he  is  extravagant  to  save  life  and  he  is 
able  and  honest." 

So  we  recommended  an  appropriation  of  500,000  francs, 
and  got  it.  The  American  Red  Cross  finished  the  hospital 
at  Vinckem.  But  the  British  met  with  a  reverse  at  Nieu- 
port.  They  instantly  concentrated  again  at  Ypres  for 
the  attack  on  the  Passchendaele  ridge.  The  Belgians 
moved  back  into  the  IsTieuport-La  Panne  sector  and  the 
Belgian  Red  Cross  now  had  two  great  establishments, 
both  run  under  the  name  of  Ambulance  de  I'Ocean. 

During  the  winter  of  1917-18,  the  hospital  barracks 
at  Vinckem  were  empty.  At  a  little  dinner  at  La  Panne 
of  Belgium  and  British  officers,  one  of  Depage's  enemies 
made  a  great  laugh  by  describing  the  famous  hospital  "run 
by  three  men  and  a  dog  and  with  transport  service  of  one 
bicycle."    By  midsummer  the  laugh  was  on  the  other  side. 


CHAPTER  X 

Belgian  Red  Cross  Activities 


^t5^ 


IN  the  early  summer  of  1918,  the  Belgium  Red  Cross 
Society  had  under  its  control  five  military  hospitals 
serving  the  army:  First  Line:  The  Ocean  Hospital  at 
La  Panne,  and  the  new  hospital  at  Vinckem  to  which  we 
contributed  500,000  francs.  Second  Line:  Hopital  Vir- 
val  of  400  beds  on  the  outskirts  of  Calais,  and  Hopital 
Petit  Fort  Philippe — a  mile  from  Gravelines — with  1,000 
beds.  Third  Line:  Hopital  Mortain  in  the  department 
of  Calvados  south  of  Rouen  with  another  1,000  beds. 
From  La  Panne  near  the  front  line,  it  was  22  miles  back  to 
Gravelines  and  250  miles  back  to  Mortain. 

These  hospitals,  as  a  part  of  the  army  establishment, 
drew  rations  and  all  personnel  was  paid  by  the  army. 
So  whether  funds  came  in  to  the  Belgian  Red  Cross  or  not 
these  hospitals  could  exist,  but  they  could  not  carry  on 
the  high  grade  work  they  had  been  doing. 

Under  date  of  May  8,  1918,  I  wrote  Colonel  Bicknell 
at  Le  Havre  as  follows : 

"Mr.  Hanssens,  Business  Manager  of  the  Ocean  Hos- 
pital, on  Sunday  told  me  the  condition  of  things  in  the 
Belgian  Red  Cross  Society  and  asked  our  help.  When 
you  and  I  talked  about  this  before,  they  had  a  reserve  of 
several  hundred  thousand  francs.  This  has  been  spent 
and  the  Society  finds  itself  without  resources  except  oc- 
casional small  gifts  and  the  profits  of  the  canteen  at  the 
Ocean  Hospital,  which  amounts  to  only  a  few  thousand 
a  year. 

"In  the  opinion  of  Mr.  'X,'  and  of  Mr.  'Y,'  an  officer 
of  the  King,  neither  of  whom  want  to  be  quoted  in  any 

69 


70  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

way,  it  is  important  to  keep  the  Belgian  Red  Cross  So- 
ciety alive  and  independent  but  working  in  closest  co- 
operation with  the  Service  de  Sante.  Toward  this  co- 
operation ^Y'  has  been  working  for  some  months.  Depage 
and  Melis  now  pull  together.  If,  however,  the  Belgian 
Red  Cross  goes  out  of  business,  the  entire  medical  and 
surgical  administration  will  become  centered  in  the  army. 
This  will  mean  a  certain  amount  of  stagnation  and  red 
tape.  Everybody  seems  to  agree,  even  those  who  criticize 
Depage,  that  his  influence  has  been  powerful  and  uplifting 
in  the  army  as  well  as  in  general.  Everybody  agrees  that 
he  is  fearless,  honest,  intelligent  and  very  progressive.  If 
the  Belgian  Red  Cross  comes  to  depend  entirely  on  the 
army,  it  is  believed  that  Depage  will  be  more  or  less  ham- 
pered. Hanssens  said  'If  we  need  a  new  operating  table 
for  the  Ocean  Hospital,  we  ought  to  be  free  to  get  it  and 
not  have  to  wait  three  months.'  In  all  matters  of  special 
equipment,  experimentation,  etc.,  they  want  liberty. 

"If  the  American  Red  Cross  can  give  the  Belgian  Red 
Cross  a  monthly  subsidy,  the  freedom  can  be  maintained. 
I  believe  we  ought  to  help  the  Belgian  Red  Cross  Society 
because  it  is  a  Red  Cross  Society  of  standing,  because  the 
first  job  of  all  Red  Cross  Societies  is  the  military  hospi- 
tals, and  because  the  main  man  in  the  Society  is  Depage 
and  Depage  is  a  real  leader. 

"I  recommend  an  appropriation  of  25,000  francs  per 
month  on  the  condition  that  we  are  free  at  any  time  to 
withdraw  from  the  undertaking." 

Colonel  Bicknell  was  so  frequently  at  the  front  and 
knew  Depage  so  well  tbat  argument  with  liim  was  un- 
necessary. Conservative  usually  in  granting  funds,  given 
to  making  conditions  which  would  stimulate  the  recipient, 
here  he  went  far  beyond  me.  It  was  a  critical  moment  for 
the  Allies.  Up  on  our  part  of  the  front,  the  Germans  had 
taken  Isli.  Kemmel  and  were  now  behind  us.  They  were 
massing  around  Ilazebrouck  and  there  was  grave  danger 
of  our  having  to  give  up  the  front  line  from  Ypres  to  Nieu- 


BELGIAN   RED  CROSS  ACTIVITIES  71 

port  and  fall  back  toward  Dunkirk.  It  was  time  for  a  real 
stroke  to  cheer  and  stiffen  everybody.  Bicknell  found 
that  the  American  Ked  Cross  in  Paris  and  in  London  had 
taken  precisely  that  view  of  the  situation.  They  had  given 
10,000,000  francs  to  the  French  Ked  Cross,  450,000 
I)ounds  to  the  British  Eed  Cross  and  smaller  gifts  to  the 
Italian  and  Swiss  Red  Cross  Societies.  Colonel  Bicknell 
requested  a  million  francs  for  the  Belgian  Red  Cross 
Society  and  the  Finance  Committee  granted  it.  Then  he 
arranged  for  Colonel  James  H.  Perkins,  Commissioner  to 
Europe,  to  go  to  La  Panne  and  present  the  check  to  the 
Queen  as  Honorary  President  of  the  Belgian  Red  Cross 
Society.  It  was  some  weeks  before  Colonel  Perkins  could 
get  to  our  front  but  the  Belgian  Red  Cross  had  been  ad- 
vised of  the  grant  and  did  not  have  to  wait  for  the  check  to 
use  it.  The  brave  little  Queen  was  happier  even  than 
Depage  w^hen  she  got  the  news.  "Our  brave  men,"  she 
said.  "It  means  so  much  for  them."  Her  face  fairly 
shone  with  joy. 

Finally  on  August  17,  Bicknell  and  I  met  Colonel  Perk- 
ins at  Boulog-ne-sur-mer,  coming  back  from  England.  With 
him  was  Major  Daniel  T.  Pierce  and  Major  J.  Wideman 
Lee. 

They  saw  everything  from  Nieuport  to  Poperinghe, — 
front  trenches,  canteens,  children's  colonies,  civil  and  mili- 
tary hospitals, — and  on  August  19,  were  received  by  both 
the  King  and  Queen.  The  King  was  in  a  very  happy 
mood,  joked  about  living  so  long  at  La  Panne,  said  he 
liked  the  sea  view  but  was  "fed  up"  with  it,  and  in  every 
way  made  the  little  ceremony  much  less  stiff  than  these 
things  are  apt  to  be.  Perkins  got  the  check  transferred 
to  the  King  who  promptly  handed  it  to  the  Queen.  Per- 
kins did  it  in  the  simplest,  friendliest  kind  of  a  way  and 
the  King  and  Queen  both  showed  deep  feeling  in  the 
way  they  thanked  the  American  Red  Cross  and  the  people 
of  the  United  States. 

The  money  was  used  to  equip  the  hospitals  Petit  Fort 


72  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Philippe,    Virval  and  Mortain,    and  in  improving  condi- 
tions at  Vinckem  and  La  Pamie. 

The  Belgian  Ked  Cross  farm,  in  tlie  Moeres,  was  an 
oasis  in  the  midst  of  a  desert  of  war.  Shells  went  over 
but  here  were  peace  and  plenty.  Destruction  was  in  the 
air  about,  but  here  things  were  produced.  Not  having 
milk,  eggs,  vegetables,  chickens  for  the  wounded,  the 
Belgian  Red  Cross  Society  raised  them.  Madame  Joos- 
tens,  wife  of  a  great  horse  breeder  and  fancier,  was  in 
charge.  Her  husband  commanded  a  battery  at  Nieuport. 
The  farm  was  run  on  modern  lines  and  any  cow  which 
did  not  give  her  20  or  25  liters  of  milk  per  day  had  to  go. 
The  best  coav  gave  32  liters. 

Long  before  the  armistice,  the  Belgian  Red  Cross  was 
looking  forward  to  service  in  the  occupied  country.  "As 
we  move  forward,"  said  Madame  Joostens,  "we  must  pre- 
pare to  deal  with  a  population  in  which  are  many  ema- 
ciated, many  tubercular,  and  a  great  number  of  children 
m  need  of  a  diet  of  eggs  and  milk." 

On  September  28,  the  Belgian  Army,  held  on  the  de- 
fensive so  long,  left  their  trenches  and  began  the  famous 
battle  of  the  "Mountain  of  Flanders."  In  one  day  they 
captured  Houthulst  Forest  at  which  they  had  looked  for 
over  four  years.  They  were  well  astride  the  Passchendaele 
ridge  now  which  the  British  had  captured  foot  by  foot 
in  1917  and  had  had  to  give  up  in  the  great  German 
offensive  of  1918.  The  British  fighting  with  them  said, 
"These  Belgians  are  wonderful.  They  must  have  webbed 
feet  to  go  over  such  ground." 

The  wounded  came  back  by  the  thousand.  ISTow  every 
hospital  facility  was  taxed  to  the  uttermost.  Vinckem,  no 
longer  run  by  "three  men,  a  dog  and  a  bicycle,"  was  full 
and  the  expensive  wide  corridors,  as  Depage  had  foreseen, 
cared  for  long  rows  of  cots  which  he  had  in  reserve.  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  money  unquestionably  saved  many  lives. 

Under  date  of  October  5,  1918,  I  wrote  Colonel  Bick- 
nell  from  La  Panne: 


BELGIAN  RED  CROSS  ACTIVITIES  73 

"Depage  has  risen  to  the  emergency  in  great  shape. 
The  Ocean  Hospital  (which  had  been  ahnost  entirely  evac- 
uated under  army  orders)  jumped  from  two  doctors  and 
six  nurses  and  perhaps  fifty  beds,  to  800,  then  1,000,  and 
now  tonight  1,500,  The  hospital  at  Vinckem  jumped 
from  400  to  1,600  beds. 

"Depage's  judgment  in  building  it  has  been  vindicated. 
(It  was  a  close  question,  however,  whether  Germans 
wouldn't  capture  it.)  The  plan  Depage  drew  with  wide 
corridors  has  saved  the  day,  for  these  corridors  are  wide 
enough  for  wards.  Depage  came  up  with  a  rush  from 
Mortain  on  the  27  and  the  offensive  started  the  28.  He 
took  command  of  the  hospital  in  person  and  spends  his 
days  at  Vinckem  and  his  nights  at  La  Panne.  The 
great  lack  was  personnel.  I  gave  my  secretary.  Civilian 
doctors  were  impressed.  I  sent  Dr.  Rothholz  and  her  nurse 
from  Leysele.  Doctor  Park  came  and  jumped  in  to  help 
for  a  day  or  two.  A  cable  brought  25  nursing  students 
from  London,  Belgian  girls,  household  servants  in  La 
Panne,  were  taken  over,  and  so  it  went.  ISTurses  and 
doctors  were  hurried  up  from  Mortain  but  this  supply  was 
limited  as  the  wounded  were  evacuated  in  that  direction. 

"All  in  all,  it  has  been  handled  well.  Doctors  have  op- 
erated 20  hours  on  a  stretch  and  nurses  have  worked  40 
hours  out  of  48,  but  it  is  better  now. 

"The  worst  thing  was  that  the  jump  was  so  quick  and 
the  ground  so  bad  and  the  roads  so  few  that  the  army 
got  away  from  us  and  the  wounded  were  not  picked  up 
quickly  the  first  three  days.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that 
a  number  were  lost  that  way. 

"There  seem  to  be  up  to  date  15,000  casualties,  8,000 
of  which  are  grave,  5,000  dead.  The  proportion  of  offi- 
cers was  very  great,  probably  1,000  casualties  and  I  was 
told  800  dead. 

"The  Belgians  fought  fiercely,  with  an  anger  long  pent 
up  and  very  savage  when  they  struck  regiments  like  the 
one  which  shot  up  Dinant  early  in  the  war.     They  took 


74  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

5,000  or  6,000  prisoners  in  the  first  two  clays.  If  they 
had  had  roads  and  reserves,  or  reserves  without  any  more 
roads,  they  would  have  gone  through  to  Bruges  or  Ghent. 

"Another  interesting  thing:  Seeing  the  lack  in  quick 
attention  at  the  front  line  and  the  inability  of  regimental 
surgeons  to  cope  with  it,  Depage  is  starting  two  advanced 
surgical  stations — one  at  Poelcappelle  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Forest  of  Houthulst,  and  the  other  at  Jonckershove 
near  Houthulst  village  on  the  north  side.  Dr.  Delporte 
is  in  charge  of  the  first  and  has  been  operating  these  two 
days,  and  Dr.  Xeuman  is  in  charge  of  the  second  which 
is  placed  today.  These  are  installed  in  tents  which  the 
American  Red  Cross  gave  "Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers" 
for  canteen  purposes,  but  they  are  switched  rapidly  to  this 
use  because  of  the  need  and  because  of  the  good  team 
work  between  Vandervelde  and  Depage. 

"I'd  like  a  hundred  good  American  stretcher  bearers, 
but  we  can't  have  them.  We  will  come  through  without 
them." 

The  little  Queen  went  up  into  all  that  tangle  of 
Houthulst  Forest,  nursing  in  the  advanced  surgical  sta- 
tions, and  was  in  places  shelled  repeatedly.  The  King  was 
with  the  troops  and  once  came  back  to  find  her,  meeting 
her  at  one  of  the  American  Red  Cross  tents,  ]!^either 
asked  the  other  to  go  back  where  it  was  safer,  though  both 
were  in  grave  danger.     That  was  the  greatest  test  of  all. 

"Thanks  to  the  millions  of  members  of  the  American 
Red  Cross  in  the  United  States,  we  had  hundreds  of  cases 
of  bandages,  dressings  and  hospital  garments  ready  and 
our  trucks  were  busy  keeping  hospitals  supplied  from 
our  warehouses  at  Adinkerke.  A.  P.  Rice,  head  of  our 
supply  service  in  Paris,  wrote  on  ISTovember  8,  1918,  that 
he  had  shipped  us  660  cases  in  October  alone — besides 
1,000  pounds  of  ether  and  chloroform  just  sent  and  a  truck 
load  of  ether  and  other  drugs  started  over  the  road. 

By  October  19,  we  were  in  Bruges.  The  Belgian  Red 
Cross,   like  the    army   hospitals    moved   with    the    army. 


BELGIAN   RED  CROSS  ACTIVITIES  75 

There  was  a  hospital  at  Thourout  one  day  and  the  next 
day  in  the  Ecole  Normale  of  Bruges.  Then  by  November 
5,  Depage  put  an  advanced  surgical  station  in  an  old  con- 
vent at  Waersclioote,  close  up  to  Ghent. 

"Our  camions  with  food  and  blankets,  as  well  as  sur- 
gical supplies  and  dressings,  kept  up  with  the  Belgian 
Red  Cross  as  it  moved. 

"Waerschoote  was  the  last  stand  before  Brussels." 

Under  date  of  October  25,  1918,  I  wrote  Major  Lee, 
our  Acting  Deputy  Commissioner  at  Le  Havre,  from  La 
Panne,  as  follows : 

"The  time  element  in  this  relief  work  sticks  out  at 
every  turn.  It  is  the  instantaneous  decision  and  the  bull- 
dog determination  and  the  wild  bull  kind  of  rushes  which 
succeed  in  a  relief  crisis  like  that  which  faces  us  now. 

"I  see  why  Depage  is  hated  and  why  he  succeeds.  I 
said  to  him  tonight  as  I  left  him  at  Bruges :  'You  are 
sometimes  very  difficult  but  also  from  time  to  time  magnifi- 
cent.' This  is  one  of  the  times  when  he  shines  out,  when 
nothing  stops  him,  and  he  gets  the  wounded  in  and  oper- 
ated upon  and  fed  and  covered  with  blankets  and  nursed. 
I  see  the  enormous  difficulties  of  making  a  new  hospital 
He  changes  his  base  as  the  army  changes, — quick  as 
lightning.  He  sacrifices  any  amount  of  labor  already  done 
to  meet  a  new  condition  which  has  arisen,  which  was  not 
in  the  situation  before. 

"The  time  element,  as  I  say,  sticks  out.  I  like  the  way 
you  realize  this  at  Le  Havre  and  act  on  it.  1,000  blankets 
when  wounded  men  lie  uncovered  are  more  than  1,000,000 
when  they  are  in  the  hospital,  warm  and  fed. 

"Ten  sacks  of  rice  for  a  new  hospital,  swept  clean  by 
the  Germans,  means  more  than  a  shipload  in  some  port 
100  miles  away.  One  hundred  tubes  of  catgut  two  miles 
back  from  the  front  trenches  or  at  some  post  de  secours 
outweighs  an  order  for  30,000  tubes  just  going  in  to  Paris. 

"It  is  this  catgut,   blankets,   rice,   beans,   many-tailed 


76  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

abdominal  bandage  kind  of  job  that  we  have  been  doing 
since  the  great  Belgian  offensive. 

"These  are  the  things  rushed  forward  from  our  stores 
accumulated  a  year  ago  for  this  kind  of  an  emergency, 
placed  far  forward  in  an  area  under  fire,  while  some 
laughed  and  others  expostulated.  It  is  sent  up  now  by 
transport  arranged  months  ago  when,  with  this  thing  in 
mind,  we  placed  camions  in  the  front  area  to  do  evacuation 
work  of  the  people  and  property  in  danger  and  to  he 
quickly  available  for  some  great  hour  of  need." 

When  the  King  reached  Brussels,  the  war  over,  the 
American  Red  Cross  did  two  further  things  for  the  Bel- 
gian Red  Cross.  It  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Queen 
1,250,000  francs  to  use  for  the  reeducation  of  the  mutiles 
through  the  Red  Cross,  and  appropriated  300,000  francs 
additional  for  the  purchase  of  cows,  the  enlargement  of 
the  Red  Cross  farms,  and  the  furnishing  of  milk  and  eggs 
to  the  tubercular. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Belgian  Army  Hospitals 

WATCHIISTG  the  tumult  and  tlie  shouting  when  our 
boys  came  home,  a  good  lady  turned  to  a  lonely- 
looking  soldier  near  her  and  said,  "Are  you  one  of  the 
heroes,  too?"  "'No,  ma'am,"  was  his  reply;  "I'm  a 
regular." 

It  is  the  regular  generally  who  has  the  heavy  end  to  carry 
and  small  credit  for  carrying  it. 

Without  the  financial  backing  given  to  the  Belgian  Red 
Cross  Society,  the  regular  military  hospitals  of  the  Belgian 
Army  held  on  through  all  the  hard  years  and  did  good 
work. 

When  we  first  went  to  Belgium,  General  De  Ceuninck, 
Minister  of  War,  invited  us  to  his  chateau  at  Furnes  to 
meet  General  Melis,  Inspector  General  Service  de  Sante 
or  Surgeon  General  of  the  Belgian  Army,  and  both  asked 
our  help  in  the  purchase  of  mobile  surgical  units  or  auto- 
mobile operating  rooms  to  move  with  the  army  as  it  moved. 
An  appropriation  of  170,000  francs  was  made  for  this 
purpose. 

This  led  to  a  study  of  the  entire  hospital  system.  The 
three  front  hospitals  were  Beveren,  Cabour  and  Hoogstade. 
For  a  second  line,  as  finally  organized,  Beveren  had  a 
hospital  at  Calais,  Cabour,  also  one  at  Calais,  and  Hoog- 
stade, one  at  Bourbourg,  a  few  miles  from  Calais.  For 
the  third  line,  Beveren  evacuated  to  Villiers-le-see  in  Cal- 
vados, and  Hoogstade  to  Le  Havre.  Cabour,  which  was 
exclusively  medical,  evacuated  to  a  great  many  hospitals 
all  over  western  France,  for  heart  diseases,  shell  shock, 

77 


78  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

tuberculosis,  kidney  diseases,  venereal  diseases,  and  con- 
valescents. 

Dr.  Derache,  head  of  the  Beveren  system  of  hospitals, 
was  a  strong  man  and  a  brilliant  surgeon.  Dr.  Willems, 
head  of  the  Hoogstade  line,  another  able  man,  did  some 
new  and  remarkable  things  in  the  treatment  of  joints. 
Dr.  Pierre  Nolf,  head  of  Cabour  and  of  all  the  medical 
service,  has  become  an  international  figure.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  scientific  men  Belgium  has  produced  and  is 
a  trusted  friend  and  advisor  of  the  royal  family.  He 
dealt  effectively  during  the  war  with  two  very  bad  epidem- 
ics, dysentery  and  grip,  with  brilliant  results. 

When  the  war  broke  out,  jSTolf  was  a  professor  of  medi- 
cine at  Liege,  well  known  locally.  He  made  his  way  to 
the  army  area  and  took  charge  of  a  little  hospital  for  civil- 
ians at  Coxyde,  only  four  miles  from  the  front  line.  Here 
he  was  discovered  by  the  Queen  who  saw  what  remarkable 
things  he  was  doing,  and  speedily  brought  him  to  the  at- 
tention of  General  Melis  who  took  him  for  the  army.  The 
Queen  did  effective  nursing  at  Cabour  as  well  as  at  La 
Panne,  and  visited  regularly  all  the  front  hospitals. 

General  Melis,  the  Surgeon  General,  had  visited  the 
United  States  with  King  Albert  when  he  was  still  Prince. 
He  speaks  English  fluently.  It  would  be  hard  to  find  a 
more  agreeable,  kindly  companion.  He  was  very  con- 
servative and  frequently  said,  ''I  am  a  very  economical 
man.  We  are  a  small  country  and  poor.  I  want  to  keep 
you  from  throwing  your  money  out  of  the  window."  So 
he  was  constantly  giving  us  advice  which  we  appreciated 
about  how  to  make  our  money  and  supplies  go  as  far  as 
they  would. 

He  was  President  of  the  Belgian  Red  Cross  as  well 
as  Surgeon  General  but  it  was  natural  that  he  should  think 
less  of  the  great  expensive  Ocean  Hospital  with  its  ade- 
quate equipment,  and  more  of  the  obscure  surgeon  of  the 
regular  army  in  some  remote  place  who  had  little  to  work 
with. 


BELGIAN  ARMY  HOSPITALS  79 

All  of  us  in  the  Commission  for  Belgium  shared  that 
feeling  and  we  saw  quite  clearly  that  the  one  Eed  Cross 
job  above  all  others  we  must  do  effectively  was  the  charter 
obligation  "to  help  the  nations  care  for  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  in  time  of  war." 

To  the  following  military  hospitals  under  General  Melis 
we  gave  help — all  of  them  were  in  France  except  Beveren, 
Hoogstade  and  Cabour. 

To  Beveren  we  furnished  huge  packing  cases  of  ban- 
dages, dressings  and  hospital  garments;  to  Cabour  serum, 
drugs,  dressings  and  on  a  few  occasions  supplies  of  food; 
to  Angerville  and  Auberville  near  Le  Havre,  medical  sup- 
plies, clothing  and  recreation  equipment  for  the  convales- 
cents; to  Bourbourg,  an  X-ray  machine  and  new  piano; 
to  Cap  Ferrat  in  the  Alpes  Maritimes,  a  barrack,  dental 
instruments  and  10,000  francs;  to  Chateau  Giron,  hos- 
pital supplies ;  to  the  Porte  of  Gravelines,  at  Calais,  2,000 
blankets  and  medical  supplies ;  Le  Havre,  a  recreation  hall 
costing  38,500  francs,  fruit  and  candy,  and  other  supplies; 
Le  Mans,  surgical  instruments,  food  and  clothing;  Mont- 
pellier,  hospital  supplies;  Paris,  beds  and  garments; 
Rouen,  operating  table  and  pharmacy  equipment ;  Soligny 
La  Trappe,  cinema;  St.  Lumaire,  supplies. 

When  the  great  advance  came  in  the  fall  of  1918,  and 
hospitals,  dressing  stations  and  everything  started  forward, 
out  of  our  reserve  stocks  of  bandages,  dressings  and  food 
at  Adinkerke  we  helped  the  hospitals  of  the  army  as  we 
had  those  of  the  Belgium  Red  Cross  Society. 

We  supplied  through  "Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers,"  two 
hundred  surgical  kits  to  regimental  dressing  stations,  con- 
cerning which  the  Deputy  Commissioner  with  the  troops 
reported  as  follows : 

"These  kits  were  carried  to  the  new  lines  on  the  other 
side  of  Houthulst  Forest  and  created  a  tremendous  sen- 
sation because  of  the  great  need  which  they  met  and  be- 
cause of  the  dijfficulty  of  delivery.     'No  single  act  of  the 


80  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

American  Red  Cross  more  quickly  showed  results  in  sav- 
ing life,  than  the  delivery  of  these  kits." 

Finally,  for  these  regular  army  hospitals,  back  in  their 
o^vn  country,  we  bought  one  thousand  beds,  twenty  hun- 
dred dozen  cups  and  twenty-five  hundred  dozen  plates. 


CHAPTER  XII 
The  Refugee  Problem 

DURII^G  the  ]3rogress  of  the  war,  many  thousands  of 
people  had  to  decide  whether  they  would  flee  from 
an  approaching  enemy  or  stay  at  home. 

There  were  arguments  both  ways :  If  they  stayed  they 
might  get  killed  or  be  made  prisoners.  At  all  events,  they 
would  have  to  live  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  enemy 
and  would  not  be  free  to  communicate  with  those  who 
went  away.  On  the  other  hand,  if  they  left,  they  usually 
would  have  to  go  hurriedly,  leave  their  property  unpro- 
tected, risk  death  from  fatigue  or  exposure,  and  perhaps 
live  under  difficult  conditions  among  strangers. 

If  they  were  moved  by  unselfish  rather  than  selfish  con- 
siderations, they  could  find  arguments  both  ways. 

In  the  case  of  Belgium,  everybody,  except  a  few  do^vn 
in  one  corner  of  West  Flanders,  had  that  decision  to  make. 
Most  Belgians  decided  not  to  fiee.  When  we  hear  of  the 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  Belgian  refugees,  we  forget  the 
seven  million  who  stuck  to  their  country,  Germans  or  no 
Germans. 

Some  who  went  away  went  back  afterward  and  looked 
after  their  little  properties.  Others  who  stayed  in  Bel- 
gium made  their  way  out  at  risk  of  their  lives  to  enlist 
in  the  army  or  to  carry  messages  or  to  join  members  of 
their  families. 

Some  who  stayed  might  better  have  gone  away  and  put 
on  a  uniform,  and  some  who  went  away  and  lived  at  ease 
in  England  or  on  the  Riviera  might  better  have  stayed  in 
Occupied  Belgium  and  shared  the  common  lot.     But  the 

81 


82  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

great  majority  of  Belgians  did  tlieir  duty  as  they  saw  it, 
and  generally  they  saw  straight. 

Caught  between  two  armies,  it  is  about  as  safe  to  go 
one  way  as  another,  toward  friend  or  foe,  provided  one 
keeps  out  in  the  open  away  from  buildings  or  road  inter- 
sections liable  to  be  shelled. 

The  natural  instinct  is  to  flee  from  the  enemy  and  to 
take  shelter  in  buildings.     Both  tendencies  may  be  wrong. 

About  the  onlv  sure  thine;  the  relief  worker  can  hold 
to  is  that  the  status  of  the  refugee  is  evil,  that  people 
ought  not  to  be  encouraged  to  become  refugees  and  if  they 
do,  not  to  be  encouraged  to  remain  refugees. 

Relief  workers  in  Holland  in  1915  saw  thousands  of 
men  sitting  smoking  in  close  crowded  barracks  unable  to 
work  for  fear  of  upsetting  the  Dutch  industrial  conditions ; 
thev  saw  women  and  children  under  far  from  ideal  condi- 
tions,  at  the  very  best,  and  these  relief  workers  said, 
"Why  is  it  not  the  best  thing  for  these  people  to  be  at 
home  in  Belgium,  under  the  Germans  ?  If  they  have  gar- 
dens they  can  cultivate  them.  If  they  have  little  houses, 
they  can  keep  them  in  repair.  They  at  least  can  earn  there 
a  part  of  their  support.  They  will  be  under  their  own 
priests  and  leaders.  They  will  be  surrounded  by  their 
own  community  standards  and  bad  as  conditions  may  be 
in  Belgium,  they  won't  rot  morally  there  as  fast  as  they 
Avill  here." 

So  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Germans  might  deport  a 
few  of  them  for  enforced  labor  in  Germany,  thousands 
were  encouraged  to  go  back  into  Occupied  Belgium,  and 
thousands  of  others  went  who  needed  no  encouragement 
but  who  said  "Our  duty  is  at  home  with  our  own  people." 

There  is  no  question  that  at  home  they  were  far  better 
off  than  the  average  refugee. 

But  those  who  stayed  in  Occupied  Belgium  or  in  the 
part  of  northern  France  where  Hoover's  men  operated, 
were  better  off  than  those  who  stayed  in  those  parts  of 
Serbia,   Poland,   Roumania   or  Russia   occupied   by  the 


THE  REFUGEE  PROBLEM  83 

Germans,  for  tlie  Commissiou  for  Relief  in  Belgium  fed 
and  clothed  them  throughout  the  war. 

And  yet,  thousands  who  fled  died  of  famine,  pestilence, 
wounds  or  fatigue.  One  of  the  great  tragedies  of  the  war 
was  the  death  of  Serbian  boys  from  14  to  18  and  under, 
sent  away  from  the  country  when  the  Serbian  Army  re- 
treated. They  were  lost  in  the  Albanian  mountains, 
frozen,  starved  and  wasted  with  disease  so  that  only  5,000 
out  of  35,000  survived. 

As  Homer  Folks  says:  "This  almost  complete  loss  of 
its  younger  male  population  is  perhaps  the  saddest  in  the 
many  sad  pages  in  the  war  history  of  Serbia." 

Serbia  would  have  been  better  off  to  have  let  those  boys 
stay  at  home.  Even  the  Germans  felt  the  power  of  world 
opinion  and  probably  would  not  have  conscripted  them. 
Some  of  them  would  have  starved  to  death  or  died  of 
disease  even  at  home,  but  there  would  have  been  no  loss 
of  30,000  or  anything  like  it. 

If  people  do  run  away,  then  the  flight  must  be  con- 
trolled at  the  earliest  possible  stage  by  the  country  to 
which  they  are  running.  An  organization  must  be  made  to 
sort  them.  The  military  authorities  must  look  for  spies. 
The  doctors  must  look  for  contagion.  The  directors  of  the 
work  must  send  farm  workers  to  farming  regions  and 
industrial  workers  to  industrial  regions.  The  army  of 
refugees  must  be  treated  like  an  army  and  conscripted  for 
service. 

But  they  must  also  be  treated  like  suffering  human 
beings  in  need  of  sympathy  and  help. 

The  governments  of  France,  Switzerland,  Holland  and 
England  received  many  thousands  of  Belgian  refugees. 
In  1917,  there  were  probably  250,000  Belgians  in  France, 
5,000  in  Switzerland,  50,000  in  Holland  and  80,000  in 
England. 

France  at  one  time  was  spending  $14,000,000  per  month 
in  the  care  of  refugees,  her  own  and  those  of  other  nations. 

The  American  Bed  Cross  in  France  at  one  time  was 


84.  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

spending  $1,400,000  a  month  helping  France  care  for 
refugees. 

The  same  reasons  which  impel  us  to  clean  up  slums 
in  peace  time  impel  us  to  deal  effectively  with  refugees 
in  war  time.  Leaving  aside  all  motives  of  brotherhood 
and  humanity,  though  these  can't  be  left  aside  in  any  true 
account  of  the  war,  refugees  have  to  be  cared  for  or  they 
will  get  in  the  way  of  armies,  block  roads,  create  city 
slums,  breed  contagion  which  spreads  to  troops,  and  if 
maddened  by  hunger,  start  riots  and  take  troops  needed 
elsewhere  to  put  them  down.  Worse  than  all  this  from  the 
standpoint  of  winning  a  war,  what  Bakewell  says  in  his 
"American  Eed  Cross  in  Italy"  is  true  for  every  fighting 
country : 

"There  are  wounds  besides  those  made  by  enemy  guns 
that  reach  the  entire  civilian  population.  And  every  sol- 
dier at  the  front  is  linked  by  ties  of  affection  to  those  at 
home,  his  mother,  his  wife,  his  children.  Their  wounds 
are  his  wounds.  If  they  are  neglected,  his  courage  is 
sapped." 

While  the  wives  and  children  of  the  greater  number  of 
Belgian  soldiers  were  left  in  Belgium,  there  were  many 
thousands  who  were  refugees  in  France.  What  kept  up 
their  courage,  kept  up  the  courage  of  their  men  in  the 
line? 

In  work  for  Belgium,  as  in  work  for  France,  Italy  and 
Serbia,  this  was  one  of  the  factors  which  impelled  gener- 
ous appropriations  by  the  American  Red  Cross  for  refugee 
work. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


Refugees  in  Plight 


THERE  are  refugees  in  flight  and  refugees  settled 
more  or  less  permanently  in  the  country  to  which 
they  have  fled.  The  help  needed  is  different  in  each  case. 
'No  spectacle  of  war  was  sadder  than  that  of  refugees  in 
flight. 

There  were  always  little  trickles  of  the  stream  made  up 
of  the  people  who  went  in  plenty  of  time.  But  when  the 
enemy  broke  through  and  advanced  rapidly  or  when  he 
suddenly  started  shelling  heavily  a  place  heretofore  im- 
mune, there  came  an  overflowing  stream.  It  filled  the 
roads,  and  side  paths,  and  spread  out  over  fields.  It  was 
made  up  of  men,  women  and  children,  old  people  and 
babies,  burgomasters,  bankers,  priests,  school  teachers,  and 
every  kind  of  laborer.  The  man  who  had  a  factory  fled 
with  his  workmen,  and  his  wife,  who  was  the  great  lady 
of  the  village,  fled  with  her  maids.  Some  were  old  or 
sick  and  didn't  go.  If  the  enemy  halted  and  the  lines 
were  established  near  them,  they  were  sent  back  the  other 
way  and  were  Belgian  or  French  refugees  in  occupied 
Belgium  or  France.  If  the  lines  moved  on  far  enough 
these  people  who  stayed  in  their  homes  remained  there, 
in  thousands  of  cases  throughout  the  war  under  the  law  of 
the  invader. 

Where  those  who  fled  could  do  so,  they  started  on  the 
railway.  When  they  did  not,  the  scheme  was  to  direct 
them  to  a  railway  at  what  was  called  a  rail  head — the  last 
point  toward  the  enemy  that  the  railway  dared  run. 

Once  on  the  railway,  they  came  under  the  jurisdiction 

85 


86  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

of  the  department  of  the  French  Government  which  de- 
cided where  they  were  to  be  sent. 

If  they  had  money,  they  could  generally  buy  tickets 
on  regular  trains  and  shift  for  themselves.  If  not,  they 
were  allocated  among  the  departments  of  France. 

American  Red  Cross  help  began  often  in  the  villages  or 
on  the  farm  whence  they  fled.  ISTo  conviction  that  the 
refugee  status  w^as  evil  ever  stopped  us  in  helping  people 
who  wanted  to  leave. 

Our  trucks  carried  people  by  the  hundred  to  the  rail 
head.  Often  they  worked  until  Germans  entered  the  vil- 
lage. Once  one  of  our  trucks,  driven  by  a  Quaker  boy, 
got  caught  between  the  lines  and  riddled  with  bullets 
but  nobody  was  hurt. 

At  the  rail  head,  the  problem  was  to  furnish  sheds, 
blankets,  food  and  medical  help  for  a  day  or  more  until 
trains  could  pick  the  people  up. 

On  the  trains  the  work  consisted  of  supervision,  cheer, 
medical  help  and  emergency  rations.  The  ideal  was 
trucks  enough  for  all  the  sick,  aged,  infirm  or  little  chil- 
dren so  that  they  would  not  have  to  walk,  food  and  shel- 
ter for  everybody,  and  medical  or  surgical  help  to  those  in 
need — whether  on  the  train  or  truck  or  waiting  at  the 
rail  head.  That  ideal  was  never  realized  in  work  for  Bel- 
gium, nor  do  I  believe  it  has  ever  been  realized  in  a  refu- 
gee rush  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

The  number  of  people,  the  variety  of  conditions,  the 
amount  of  anguish,  create  a  situation  almost  insupporta- 
ble, and  a  problem  nobody  can  ever  be  ready  to  solve  com- 
pletely and  satisfactorily. 

Children,  the  aged,  and  the  invalids  often  died  along 
the  line  of  flight,  and  the  well  and  strong  also  succumbed 
at  times  to  wounds  or  hardships.  And  as  every  variety 
of  age  and  condition  was  found  among  the  refugees,  every 
variety  of  experience  was  encountered. 

They  left  because  they  heard  rumors  or  because  they 
saw  retreating  soldiers,  or  were  warned  by  a  burgomaster 


REFUGEES    IN    FLIGHT  87 

or  town  major  or  Red  Cross  worker,  or  because  shells  fell 
around  them  or  even  because  they  saw  the  Germans  com- 
ing. They  went  on  foot,  in  dog  or  pony  carts,  or  in  huge 
farm  wagons  drawn  by  ox  teams,  splendid  Flemish  horses 
or  even  the  family  milk  cows,  and  in  motor  cars.  They 
took  what  they  could,  but  often  the  selection  was  like 
that  which  excited  people  make  in  case  of  lire. 

If  they  had  time,  they  buried  silver  or  money  or  heir- 
looms of  one  kind  or  another,  and  German  soldiers  in- 
stalled long  enough  learned  to  dig  for  buried  treasure. 

In  nearly  every  group  were  the  family  dogs,  faithful  in 
days  of  evil  report  as  in  days  of  good  report,  making  often 
a  lark  out  of  the  migration,  and  giving  one  touch  of  cheer 
to  a  terribly  tragic  picture. 

There  were  cats,  chickens,  ducks,  geese  in  the  proces- 
sion, as  well  as  all  the  larger  animals. 

Great  herds  of  cattle  driven  ahead  of  the  refugees  were 
bought  by  the  government. 

The  refugees  slept  in  barns,  in  their  carts,  in  aban- 
doned houses  or  on  the  ground. 

There  were  exhibitions  of  selfishness  and  fear,  but  the 
prevailing  spirit  of  a  refugee  rush  was  one  of  stoicism, 
courage  and  marvelous  helpfulness.  Neighbors  helped 
neighbors,  and  a  common  disaster  bound  all  sorts  and  con- 
ditions of  people  together. 

"ISTothing  is  more  touching  than  the  kindness  of  the 
poor  for  the  poor,"  Jane  Addams  tells  us. 

And  nothing  is  more  touching  in  war  time  than  the 
service  of  war  victims  by  war  victims. 

There  were  great  refugee  flights  in  1914  and  1915,  but 
after  conditions  on  the  western  front  were  stabilized  and 
the  long  period  of  trench  warfare  began,  refugee  rushes 
were  limited  to  a  few  hundred  people  at  a  time  from 
newly  shelled  areas. 

When  the  Germans  made  their  great  advance  in  the 
spring  of  1918,  we  lived  1915  over  again.  For  months 
the  Germans  had  been  preparing  and  both  in  the  armies 


88  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

and  among  tlie  civilians  there  were  rumors.  Two  sharp 
German  attacks  were  made  March  8  to  the  north  and 
south  of  Ypres,  but  were  repulsed.  General  Plummer,  of 
the  2nd  British  Army,  whom  we  had  met  in  1917,  had 
disappeared  in  a  night  for  Italy,  and  came  back  in  a 
night.  When  the  great  attack  was  launched  on  March  21, 
it  started  along  a  front  of  50  miles  from  Monchy  to  La 
Fere,  but  as  it  progressed  and  narrowed,  it  became  a  fight 
for  Amiens. 

Up  in  Flanders  this  meant  that  some  of  our  roads  to 
Paris  were  seized,  that  British  and  Belgian  Armies  might 
be  cut  off  from  the  French,  that  the  La  Panne  office  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  might  be  cut  off  from  the  Paris  and 
Le  Havre  offices.  In  Paris  it  meant  a  great  refugee  rush, 
for  which  some  of  our  workers  were  temporarily  detached. 
"In  American  Red  Cross  Work  for  France,"  by  Fisher 
Ames,  Jr.,  this  story  is  clearly  told.  At  the  request  of  the 
Commissioner  for  France,  the  Commissioner  for  Belgium 
agreed  to  take  over  all  American  Red  Cross  work  for 
France  north  of  the  Somme,  putting  it  under  the  La  Panne 
office.  The  Deputy  Commissioner  at  La  Panne  got  up  all 
the  supplies  possible  and  constantly  carried  40,000  to 
50,000  francs  about  with  him. 

Stopped  at  Amiens  and  Montdidier,  the  German  High 
Command  turned  to  Flanders.  On  a  line  of  Ypres — 
Armentieres,  they  launched  a  second  attack,  April  9, 
against  the  British  Army.  Again  it  was  a  break  through 
toward  the  north  and  behind  us.  As  Conan  Doyle  says, 
''The  whole  front  fell  in  south  of  Armentieres."  By  night- 
fall, April  10,  the  Germans  were  in  Merville  where  w^e 
looked  down  upon  them  from  our  quarters  in  the  old 
Hotel  du  Sauvage  at  Cassel. 

Every  day  the  attack  grew  in  intensity,  and  every  day 
the  refugee  flight  increased. 

These  were  the  very  darkest  days  of  the  war.  Sir 
Douglas  Haig,  always  calm  and  self-possessed,  issued  that 
order  of  the  day  which  was  unlike  any  other  in  history, 


REFUGEES    IN    FLIGHT  89 

when  lie  said  "Every  position  must  be  held  to  the  last 
man.  With  our  backs  to  the  wall  and  believing  in  the 
justice  of  our  cause,  each  one  of  us  must  fight  to  the  end." 

It  made  everybody  feel  that  we  might  be  pushed  into 
the  sea,  but  that  every  foot  of  ground  would  be  fought  for. 
The  Germans  were  then  only  40  miles  from  Calais.  If 
they  succeeded  in  covering  as  much  ground  as  they  did  on 
the  drive  toward  Amiens,  they  would  reach  the  coast  and 
more.  There  was  no  strong  natural  line  to  stop  them. 
The  French  came  to  help,  but  on  April  25,  after  bitter 
fighting,  the  Germans  took  Mt.  Kemmel,  a  wooded  hill 
rising  500  feet  above  the  Flanders  plain. 

It  looked  as  if  all  that  was  left  of  Free  Belgium,  as 
well  as  the  whole  of  the  French  Departments  du  Nord  and 
Pas  de  Calais  were  gone. 

Then  we  saw  preparation,  the  whole  significance  of 
which  we  understood  only  after  the  war.  We  knew  that 
the  French  were  preparing  to  inundate  low  ground  around 
Dunkirk.  We  did  not  know  that  they  were  prepared  to 
let  the  British  pump  sea  water  into  the  greater  part  of 
the  rich  and  fruitful  Pas  de  Calais  to  hamper  the  Ger- 
mans. It  meant  giving  up  one  of  their  richest  depart- 
ments for  years.  The  harbors  of  Dunkirk,  Calais,  Bou- 
logne were  to  be  wrecked,  and  blockaded.  Railways,  sig- 
naling systems,  factories,  supply  depots  were  to  be  blown 
up,  and  dykes  and  locks  were  to  be  cut  so  that  even  the 
soil  would  be  inundated  and  destroyed ;  this  that  Germany 
might  not  have  new  bases  for  submarines  and  for  the  in- 
vasion of  England.  Inundating  around  Dunkirk  with 
fresh  water  had  actually  begun  before  the  danger  passed. 

The  Belgians  likewise  dug  new  trenches  to  make  a  last 
stand  for  a  few  feet  of  Belgian  soil,  but  it  looked  as  if  it 
would  be  useless  work.  The  German  advance  overlooked 
Ypres  from  the  south,  and  the  lines  were  up  directly  in 
front  of  Ypres  to  the  north  and  east.  The  pincers  had 
only  to  close.  We  put  explosives  under  our  warehouses 
at  Cabour  and  Adinkerke  ready  to  blow  them  up.     But 


90  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

the  pincers  never  closed.  The  great  advance  was  stopped 
on  Kemmel  and  in  the  forest  of  IsTieppe.  The  Germans 
turned  south  for  the  third  great  blow,  which  fell  between 
Rheims  and  Soissons. 

The  Belgian  towns  of  Loere,  Draiioutre,  iMeiive-Eglise 
and  other  smaller  hamlets  had  been  denuded  of  civilians 
who  had  fled  northward. 

The  American  Red  Cross  trucks  with  the  Eriends'  Am- 
bulance Unit  worked  night  and  day  to  help  the  people 
away. 

A  jolly  old  priest  of  Westoutre  who  couldn't  walk, 
was  carried  back  with  his  faithful  nurse  to  a  safe  place 
without  even  his  pipe.  But  he  had  50  old  $1.00  American 
bank  notes,  and  one  or  two  Canadian  bank  notes.  These 
our  agents  put  into  francs  for  him,  and  at  the  same  time 
supplied  nightgowns,  underclothes,  tobacco  and  a  pipe. 

A  rail  head  was  established  at  Couthove  near  Pope- 
ringhe  and  when  shelled  moved  to  Rousbrugge.  Over  the 
French  line  others  were  made  at  Ebblinghem,  and  at 
Lumbres  near  St.  Omer  for  the  Hazebrouck  area,  and 
farther  south  at  Anvin  near  Heuchin  for  the  Bethune 
area. 

Think  for  a  moment  of  the  authorities  concerned  in 
moving  refugees.  On  the  Belgian  side  of  the  frontier 
there  were  the  Belgian  civil  authorities,  the  Belgian  Mili- 
tary Mission  attached  to  the  British  Army,  and  the  British 
military  authorities.  On  the  French  side  of  the  frontier 
there  were  the  French  civil  authorities,  the  French  Mili- 
tary Mission  attached  to  the  British  Army,  and  the  British 
military  authorities,  as  this  was  the  British  zone. 

A  refugee  rush  implies  such  an  emergency  that  who- 
ever may  be  theoretically  in  control,  the  strongest  man  in 
sight  actually  takes  command,  no  matter  what  his  nation- 
ality. Individual  British  officers,  for  example,  showed 
great  ability  and  rare  tact  in  dealing  with  these  emer- 
gencies. 

The  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit,  a  part  of  the  British 


REFUGEES    IN    FLIGHT  91 

Red  Cross,  backed  up  tlie  army  authorities  as  described 
elsewhere.  The  American  Red  Cross  furnished  supplies 
of  food,  clothing,  bandages  and  drugs  for  the  rail  heads 
and  the  trains,  trucks  for  the  convoy  work,  and  money 
to  keep  the  Friends  going.  Our  men  were  moving  rap- 
idly from  rail  head  to  rail  head,  seeing  needs,  and  getting 
necessary  cooperation  from  French,  British  or  Belgian 
authorities.  Along  the  line  of  railway  in  France,  at 
Abbeville,  at  Rouen  and  other  places  to  the  south,  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  canteens  operated  from  Paris,  did  a  mem- 
orable work  ministering  to  the  needs  of  the  sick,  weary, 
and  often  heartbroken  refugees. 

At  the  journey's  end,  perhaps  wnj  down  in  the  Midi, 
American  Red  Cross  w^orkers  met  them. 

In  the  closing  months  of  the  war,  when  the  Allies  were 
advancing,  w^e  got  refugees  from  the  occupied  country. 

On  October  14,  1918,  in  Ypres,  six  bedraggled-looking 
men  and  a  collie  dog  led  by  a  string,  came  down  the  road 
from  Winkel  St.  Eloi.  They  had  hidden  in  a  cellar  when 
the  fighting  sw^ept  over  them.  When  it  got  quiet,  the 
Germans  had  gone  and  the  Allies  had  passed  over  in  pur- 
suit. They  were  the  first  of  the  liberated  thousands.  Most 
liberated  civilians  stayed  in  their  homes.  But  in  areas 
of  fighting,  of  course  they  fled.  The  Germans  in  retreat 
established  a  new  line  on  the  Scheldt  River.  From  here 
they  shelled  vigorously  the  advancing  Belgians,  British, 
French  and  Americans.  Many  populous  villages,  wdiich, 
for  four  years,  had  endured  the  Germans  and  never  had 
seen  a  shell,  all  at  once  came  under  fire.  As  one  of  the 
Quakers  said :  "They  were  freed  only  to  be  ruined,"  and 
it  happened  in  the  last  two  weeks  of  the  war. 

For  these  refugees,  a  large  liospice  was  opened  at  Pope- 
ringhe  and  villages  w-hich  w^ere  not  shelled  received  them. 
They  were  not  sent  into  France.  The  end  ^vas  in  sight. 
At  this  period  w-ounds  and  gas  made  the  problem  primarily 
one  of  hospitals  and  that  story  is  told  later. 

Throughout  the  war,  the  British  took  the  position  that 


92  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

refugee  rushes  should  be  foreseen  and  provided  for  by 
systematic  evacuation  of  civilians  from  all  the  forward 
areas  of  the  army.  Both  French  and  Belgians  opposed 
this  view. 

In  February,  1918,  the  British  General  Headquarters, 
aware  of  the  impending  German  attack,  again  made  rep- 
resentation to  the  French  authorities  on  this  subject,  but 
got  no  attention. 

The  civilians  in  threatened  areas  did  not  want  to  go 
and  the  government  was  afraid  a  panic  would  be  caused 
in  other  areas  if  they  were  made  to  go. 

The  British  said  that  civilians  blocked  roads,  harbored 
spys,  spread  disease  and  were  a  continual  nuisance  and 
impediment. 

The  French  and  Belgians  admitted  much  of  this  but 
added  that  they  tilled  the  soil,  gathered  crops,  mended 
roads,  ran  laundries,  and  did  many  other  services  for  the 
army. 

After  all,  it  wasn't  what  the  authorities  did  or  didn't 
do  which  decided  the  matter.  It  was  the  flat  refusal  of 
the  peasants  to  go  until  they  themselves  decided  that  they 
had  better  go,  and  the  reluctance  of  the  government  to 
force  them.  It  was  one  of  the  few  instances  in  the  war 
where  civilians  held  out  against  the  military. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
Refugees  in  Exile 


'&^ 


IE"  the  broad  sense,  the  Ministers  at  Le  Havre  and  their 
families,  and  all  the  well-to-do  away  from  Belgium 
were  refugees.  The  middle  class  people  and  laborers  who 
got  jobs  and  supported  themselves  out  of  the  country  were 
refugees.  But  in  common  usage,  the  word  means  those 
wholly  or  partly  dependent.  To  them  we  confine  our 
attention. 

But  both  dependent  and  independent  were  bound  to- 
gether by  a  common  anxiety  and  sorrow  for  their  country, 
by  a  common  sense  of  the  humiliation  of  exile,  and  by  a 
common  hope  of  return. 

The  condition  of  most  of  the  refugees  in  exile  for  long 
periods  of  time  was  bad.  The  status  itself  was  bad.  In 
France,  where  most  of  them  stayed,  they  faced  congestion 
in  an  aggravated  form.  Seven,  eight  or  nine  persons  were 
often  jammed  into  one  little  dark,  insanitary  room,  and 
for  the  room  they  had  to  pay  an  exorbitant  price.  Food 
prices  went  soaring  also  and  the  quality  of  food  went 
down.  Sickness  broke  out  among  them,  and  many  died. 
Many  were  separated  from  relatives.  The  man  was  in 
the  trenches,  or  children  and  parents  had  been  left  in 
Belgium.  While  the  French  were  at  first  kind,  before 
the  end  the  refugees  were  often  made  to  feel  that  they 
were  intruders,  eating  bread  and  taking  places  that  be- 
longed to  the  French.  They  were  as  a  rule  very  clean 
people — proud  of  their  housekeeping,  and  a  refugee  status 
was  hard  on  them. 

An  intelligent  executive  who  acted  as   Secretary  for 
one  of  the  Ministers,  a  Belgian  who  is  himself  a  devoted 

93 


94  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

friend  and  admirer  of  the  French  people,  explained  why 
the  French  feeling  cooled  for  the  Belgians : 

"First,  because  most  Belgian  refugees  in  France  spoke 
Flemish  and  not  French.  The  French  could  not  under- 
stand them  and  called  them  'Boches,'  the  worst  word  they 
could  employ. 

"Second,  because  the  Belgians  had  large  families  and 
the  French  small. 

"Third,  because  the  average  Belgian  workman  did  much 
more  than  the  average  French  or  British  workman  and 
was  accused  of  spoiling  the  conditions  of  industry  and 
changing  standards  of  work.  The  British  trade  unions 
went  so  far  as  to  ask  manufacturers  not  to  employ  Bel- 
gians on  this  account." 

The  Belgians  were  homesick — so  homesick  that  the  ex- 
pressions which  fell  from  their  lips  seemed  to  echo  the 
words  of  the  Jews  in  Babylon: 

"How  can  we  sing  the  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land? 
If  I  forget  thee,  oh  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget 
her  cunning  and  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my 
mouth." 

And  French  refugees,  from  northern  France,  nearly 
all  more  or  less  Flemish,  felt  much  the  same. 

The  French  Government  with  great  generosity  treated 
Belgian  refugees  practically  as  they  did  French  refugees. 
One  and  a  half  francs  per  day  were  allowed  for  an  adult 
and  one  franc  for  a  child  under  16.  They  did  not  get  the 
five  francs  extra  per  week  which  special  cases  of  the 
French  got  for  rent,  but  received  a  rent  allowance  of 
fifteen  francs  a  month  directly  from  their  own  govern- 
ment at  Le  Havre.  The  grants  to  Belgians  cost  the  French 
Government  practically  100,000,000  francs  for  the  period 
of  the  war.  Instead  of  making  the  Belgian  Goverment 
repay  this,  the  French  Government  canceled  the  debt.  In 
return,  the  French  had  the  benefit  of  the  Belgian  refugee 
labor  at  a  time  when  both  industry  and  agriculture  were 
in  great  need  of  labor. 


c 

3 


^  .z 


2  -^ 

(A 

c  o 
5  ^ 
S  U 


E  « 

o 

c 

(J     en 

C 

M  .2 


c 

3 


hS 


-a 


■?  S 


O    "Z! 


V 

3 


REFUGEES  IN  EXILE  95 

The  Minister  of  the  Interior,  French,  and  the  Minister 
of  the  Interior,  Belgian,  cooperated  in  the  care  of  Bel- 
gians in  France.  The  French  Pt^cfets,  Sous-Prefets  and 
Maires  bore  the  responsibility  for  the  work,  under  their 
own  Minister. 

The  official  Belgian  agency  for  dealing  with  refugees 
was  the  Comite  Offwiel  Beige  pour  Refugics,  organized 
in  Antwerp,  while  the  government  was  still  there.  It  was 
nominally  under  M.  Berryer,  Minister  of  the  Interior, 
but  acted  more  or  less  independently  of  him,  under  the 
joint  presidency  of  M.  Hellepntte,  Minister  of  Public 
Works,  and  the  Count  Goblet  d'  Alviella,  Minister  of 
State,  which  in  Belgium  means  Minister  without  port- 
folio. This  Committee  had  branches  in  many  departments 
of  France  to  cooperate  with  French  Committees  and  re- 
lieve them  in  part  at  least  of  special  oversight  of  Belgians. 

One  of  the  most  intelligent  agents  of  the  Committee  was 
Ernest  Claes,  now  a  Professor  at  Louvain.  Claes  had 
fought  bravely  in  the  first  part  of  the  war,  had  been  taken 
prisoner,  had  made  his  escape  after  almost  incredible 
hardships,  and  in  spite  of  shattered  health  served  his  gov- 
ernment most  effectively  at  Le  Havre.  With  Captain 
Ernest  W.  Corn,  Director  of  our  Bureau  of  Refugee  Ser- 
vice, Claes  traveled  through  many  departments  of  France 
to  see  how  the  refugees  got  on.  He  found  most  of  them  at 
work.  "In  ]^imes,"  he  said,  "they  get  fifteen  francs  a  day. 
Many  are  in  bee  culture  for  eight,  nine  or  ten  francs  a  day 
and  two  bottles  of  wine.  Many  have  been  put  in  the  service 
of  the  electric  tramways.  The  refugees  at  Cette  work  on 
the  quai,  in  the  factories  of  petroleum  and  chemical  prod- 
ucts and  in  the  vineyards.  At  Toulouse,  there  is  a  gi'eat 
deal  of  war  industry  and  salaries  are  large.  At  Lourdes 
they  are  in  the  munition  works  and  at  farming.  At  Bor- 
deaux they  are  employed  in  munition  factories,  canneries, 
at  the  wharves,  and  in  the  works  of  the  service  of  supply 
of  the  French  Army.  Even  women  at  Bordeaux  earn  from 
five  to  six  francs  a  day.     In  the  Lot  and  Garonne,  the 


96  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

refugees  work  on  farms  and  in  a  workroom  maintained 
by  the  Committee  on  refugees  to  make  clothing  for  dis- 
tribution." 

So  it  was  all  over  the  country.  Able-bodied  refugees 
had  plenty  of  work. 

There  were  the  old,  the  sick,  the  wounded,  the  children 
who  had  to  be  looked  after.  There  were  the  shiftless  who 
had  to  be  made  to  work. 

Claes  spoke  frankly  about  the  Belgian  Committees. 
The  American  Red  Cross  agent  at  Marseilles  said  to  him : 
"Edouard  de  Keyser,  President  of  the  Belgian  Commit- 
tee at  ISTimes,  is  very  able  and  devoted.  You  can  find  out 
anything  from  him."  He  did  find  De  Keyser  petitioning 
the  French  Prefet  to  cut  off  the  allocation  from  Belgian 
refugees  who  would  not  work.  At  Montpellier,  he  found 
the  Chairman  of  the  Belgian  Committee  so  able  and  honest 
that  the  French  had  put  him  in  charge  of  all  refugee  work 
in  the  department.  "But  at  another  place,"  said  he,  "the 
impression  I  had  after  my  conversation  at  the  Consulat 
Beige  and  after  having  seen  the  list  of  persons  aided,  was 
that  relief  is  given  rather  easily.  The  money  for  refugees 
is  received.  Therefore  it  must  be  given  to  refugees 
whether  they  need  it  or  not." 

At  X he  found  an  utterly  impossible  Belgian  rep- 
resentative. This  representative  believed  that  the  whole 
refugee  business  was  held  up  because  he  and  other  Bel- 
gian Committee  Chairmen  were  not  made  Consuls  and 
given  authority.  He  wanted  the  Committee  to  address 
formal  letters  of  thanks  to  all  the  Prefets  and  Sous-Prc- 
fets  and  obtain  for  them  the  Order  of  Leopold.  "He 
distributes,"  said  M.  Claes,  "the  subsides  that  he  receives 
with  wonderful  impartiality.  He  does  not  make  any  dis- 
tinction between  the  families  who  are  really  needy  and 
those  who  are  not  needy  at  all.  He  gives  the  same  subsidy 
to  everybody.  If  he  made  any  distinction,  if  he  gave  to 
one  family  one  franc  more  than  he  gave  to  another,  there 
would  be  a  great  discontent,  complaints  and  M.  X — would 


REFUGEES  IN  EXILE  97 

not  like  to  have  that.  lie  thinks  this  affair  of  subsidies 
troublesome  and  so  he  asks  the  Comite  Ojficiel  Beige  not 
to  send  him  any  more  money.  He  prefers  that  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  do  not  send  him  a  stock  of  clothing  as  pro- 
posed by  Captain  Corn.  He  did  not  know  anything  about 
the  1,700  new  refugees  just  arrived." 

In  every  department  of  France,  The  Bureau  of  Refu- 
gees of  the  French  Commission  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
had  put  agents.  These  agents  had  built  up  an  extensive 
organization,  were  spending  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars,  finding  housing  accommodations  for  refugees,  sup- 
plying clothing,  running  workrooms,  getting  medical  care, 
etc. 

Colonel  Bicknell  knew  all  these  things  when  he  decided 
positively  not  to  engage  in  any  large  way  in  refugee  work 
among  the  refugees  in  France.  He  said  that  he  didn't 
want  any  American  agencies  set  up  which  the  Belgians 
or  French  could  set  up  for  themselves,  that  he  would  not 
have  any  duplication  of  the  work  of  the  French  Commis- 
sion of  the  American  Red  Cross,  and  that  he  would  not  go 
into  any  welfare  work  for  refugees  however  desirable  it 
might  be  as  a  peace  time  proposition,  which  could  not  be 
clearly  classed  as  war  emergency  work  .  He  believed  that 
the  French  had  the  refugee  situation  in  France  well  enough 
in  hand,  and  that  there  was  work  for  everybody,  that  every- 
body should  be  made  to  work,  and  that  we  would  probably 
find  our  gi-eatest  usefulness  in  care  of  children,  medical 
work  and  housing.  He  believed  that  all  the  American  Red 
Cross  refugee  workers  could  render  by  far  a  greater  service 
as  liaison  officers  among  the  different  authorities,  as  inspec- 
tors to  detect  neglected  conditions,  as  spurs  to  local  agencies, 
as  judges  of  the  kind  and  quantity  of  supplies  needed,  and 
even  perhaps  eventually  as  experts  who  could  make  sug- 
gestions of  new  methods  and  better  ways.  But  as  far  as 
Belgians  were  concerned,  if  furniture  was  to  be  sold,  or 
clothing  distributed,  or  farms  operated,  or  sewing  rooms 
organized,  he  wanted  the  Belgians  to  do  it,  and  their 


98  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

desire  to  do  for  themselves  conserved  and  strengthened. 
So  he  laid  down  these  principles : 

"Do  not  organize  American  bureaus  with  American  per- 
sonnel except  in  exceptional  cases. 

"Do  not  help  organize  any  committee  for  Belgian  refu- 
gees except  in  communities  where  there  is  no  French  Com- 
mittee. 

"Help  the  Comite  Officiel  Beige  to  help  special  cases 
of  distress  throughout  France,  but  don't  take  any  special 
cases. 

"Concentrate  work  on  communities  where  conditions 
are  clearly  bad. 

"Do  the  things  they  are  not  equipped  to  do  and  do  them 
quickly  when  you  find  them." 

Accordingly  we  gave  several  cash  grants  to  the  Comite 

Officiel  Beige  and   its  branches,   amounting  to  270,000 

francs.    Colonel  Bicknell  had  arranged  before  his  departure 

for  other  important  grants,  but  these  were  canceled  on 

account  of  the  armistice. 

In  Le  Havre,  the  Comite  Officiel  Beige  had  a  local 
vestiaire  for  t^ie  city  under  Madame  Louise  Helleputte, 
wife  of  the  Minister  of  Public  Works.  To  this  w^e  gave 
clothing  and  several  small  cash  appropriations.  A  branch 
of  this  vestiaire  made  layettes  for  new  babies  and  distrib- 
uted cradles,  and  we  helped  to  the  extent  of  some  60,000 
francs. 

For  the  rest  of  France,  M.  Berryer,  the  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  organized  a  vestiaire  under  Madame  Henry  Car- 
ton de  Wiart,  wife  of  the  Minister  of  Justice  and  the 
American  Red  Cross  kept  it  supplied  with  clothing  and 
paid  the  entire  expense  by  a  grant  of  10,000  francs  per 
month.  Something  over  2,000  francs  in  cash  and  just 
under  200,000  francs  in  clothing  went  to  this  very  useful 
work. 

The  Minister  of  Intendance,  or  Supplies,  M.  Vander- 
velde,  in  1918,  organized  a  committee  called  Famille  du 
Soldat  Beige  for  work  among  the  wives  and  children  of 


REFUGEES  IN  EXILE  99 

the  men  in  the  Belgian  Army.  On  the  distinct  understand- 
ing that  there  would  be  a  careful  exchange  of  records  with 
the  Comite  Officiel  Beige  and  no  overlapping,  we  gave  to 
this  work  a  cash  grant  of  10,000  francs  a  month. 

This  action  induced  M.  Berryer  to  propose  to  his  col- 
league that  Famille  du  Soldat  Beige  be  merged  with  a 
work  called  l' Assistance  Temporaire  which  he  had  organ- 
ized in  Paris  under  the  Baronne  Beyens,  wife  of  the 
former  Belgian  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and  that  a 
branch  for  western  France  be  organized  under  the  presi- 
dency of  Madame  H^anans,  wife  of  the  then  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs.  As  Berryer  was  Catholic,  Vandervelde, 
Socialist,  and  Ilymans,  Liberal,  the  consummation  of  this 
arrangement  showed  a  fine  spirit  and  good  team  work. 

U Assistance  Temporaire  gave  emergency  assistance  to 
hundreds  of  cases  of  Belgians  whose  resources  were  ex- 
hausted by  the  prolongation  of  the  war  or  who  had  been 
overtaken  by  some  unforeseen  disaster.  We  gave  V As- 
sistance Temporaire  a  cash  grant  of  202,000  francs,  and 
clothing  to  the  value  of  50,000  more. 

Work  for  the  civilian  population  of  Free  Belgium,  Oc- 
cupied Belgium  and  Liberated  Belgium  is  discussed  else- 
where. 

The  long  list  of  smaller  refugee  committees  which  were 
helped  from  time  to  time  may  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 

What  visitors  to  Le  Havre  wanted  most  to  see  was  the 
American  Red  Cross  Eefugee  Village.  Of  this  Mrs, 
Bicknell  wrote  in  1919  as  follows: 

"In  Havre  the  most  desperate  single  condition  probably 
was  that  of  housing.  To  the  overcrowded,  insanitary,  and 
dark  lodgings  which  refugees  were  forced  to  occupy  at 
the  cost,  exorbitant  to  them,  of  fifty  francs  a  room  a 
month,  could  be  laid  many  of  the  evils  of  disease  and  fam- 
ily disintegration  which  all  relief  agencies  were  trying  to 
benefit.  An  organization  known  as  the  King  Albert  Fund 
(Fonds  du  Roi  Albert)  especially  interested  in  the  prob- 
lem of  future  reconstruction  in  Belgium,   conceived  the 


100  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

idea  of  putting  up  a  model  Belgian  village  outside  Havre 
with  barracks  wliich  later  could  be  moved  up  into  freed 
Belgium  as  a  first  shelter  for  the  returning  homeseekers. 

"The  King  Albert  Fund  was  created  in  September, 
1916,  by  royal  decree  and  to  it  the  government  made  a 
grant  of  ten  million  francs,  only  to  be  apprised  that  its 
purposes  of  provisional  rebuilding  lay  without  the  ends 
to  w^hich  the  money  loaned  to  Belgium  by  the  Allies  could 
be  devoted.  A  smaller  appropriation  was  made  to  this 
work  out  of  one  of  the  small  private  revenues  belonging 
to  the  government,  but  it  was  without  the  funds  necessary 
to  build  this  projected  village  and  applied  to  the  Red 
Cross  for  aid.  Ground  was  loaned  by  the  owners,  and  the 
Red  Cross  agreed  to  pay  500,000  francs  of  a  projected 
total  of  8,000,000  francs.  Later  this  amount  was  increased 
to  600,000  francs.  The  building  of  the  houses  was  en- 
trusted to  the  King  Albert  Fund;  they  were  managed  by 
the  Ministry  of  the  Interior,  and  title  to  them  vested  in 
the  Belgian  Government. 

"Three  months  after  the  work  was  started  the  first 
families  had  been  installed  in  the  village  of  Haut  Graville. 
Each  house  was  provided  with  a  small  vegetable  garden, 
and  was  completely  furnished ;  a  rent  of  thirty  francs  per 
month  was  charged — where  this  could  not  be  paid  by  the 
tenant  the  expense  was  met  through  some  charitable  source, 
but  in  no  case  was  the  family  permitted  to  feel  that  it  was 
receiving  free  lodging.  By  August,  forty  Families  nora- 
hreuses — large  families — to  whom  preference  was  given 
because  of  their  special  difficulty  in  finding  lodging  in 
the  city,  w^ere  established  in  this  attractive  garden  village. 
The  conclusion  of  the  war  made  unnecessary  the  extension 
of  the  village  to  the  one  hundred  houses  originally  planned. 
The  other  fifty  houses  were  shipped  into  Belgium  direct." 

The  Commission  to  Belgium  also  dealt  with  Belgium 
refugees,  children  and  interned  soldiers  in  England, 
Switzerland  and  Holland  as  show^n  in  the  Appendix  to 
this  book. 


REFUGEES  IN  EXILE  101 

!N"o  matter  how  rigidly  it  lield  itself  down  to  the  bedrock 
of  absolute  necessity,  the  Commission  at  no  time  was  hard- 
hearted. Every  day  it  realized  what  Bakewell  in  this 
account  of  the  work  in  Italy  called  "the  magnitude,  the 
seriousness,  the  tragedy  of  the  refugee  situation/'  and  it 
tried  to  make  understanding,  sympathy  and  friendship  its 
greatest  contribution. 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  Children's  Colonies 

I!N"  spite  of  stories  of  Germans  cutting  off  Belgian  chil- 
dren's hands — a  thing  nobody  could  ever  run  down, 
in  spite  of  children  bombed,  shelled,  killed  by  disease,  or 
slowly  starved,  so  much  good  work  was  done  for  Belgium 
both  inside  and  outside  the  country,  that  Belgium  saved 
more  of  her  children  than  many  of  the  other  fighting 
countries. 

If  pestilence  started,  it  was  checked.  If  actual  starva- 
tion threatened,  food  in  some  way  was  secured.  If  people 
slept  out  a  night  or  so,  the  condition  was  temporary.  All 
that  was  hard  or  terrible  or  loathsome  or  cruel  which 
ever  happened  anywhere,  happened  at  some  time  to  some 
Belgians,  but  very  bad  conditions  never  became  general. 

IsTothing  like  that  which  Homer  Folks  describes  for 
Serbia  in  "The  Human  Costs  of  War,"  happened  to  the 
Belgians.  As  Mr.  Hoover  said  in  1917:  "Belgians  are 
not  starving  to  death.  It  would  be  a  severe  reflection  on 
American  brains  and  efficiency,  if  after  all  our  work, 
they  were  starving  to  death.  But  they  are  not  starving  to 
death  because  we  are  busy." 

In  France  and  in  Free  Belgium  we  found  all  kinds  of 
oeuvres  or  works  going  on  for  French  and  Belgian  chil- 
dren. Among  them  were  "Children  of  the  Frontier," 
"Children  of  the  Lys,"  "Children  of  the  Yser,"  Le  Foyer 
Ecossais  of  Miss  Fyffe,  and  "Infant  Consultations"  of 
Madame  Haden  Guest.  By  far  the  greatest  number  of 
Belgian  children  outside  of  Occupied  Belgium  assisted 
during  the  war  were  under  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  or 

102 


THE  CHILDREN'S  COLONIES  103 

imder  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen.  In  the  chapter  on  the 
works  of  the  Queen,  the  latter  will  be  described. 

Early  in  1915,  the  Minister  had  taken  away  from  the 
fighting  zone  some  6,000  children,  which  he  placed  in  in- 
stitutions which  he  himself  organized  and  called  Colonies 
Scolaires. 

There  was  no  question  raised  of  placing  out  such  chil- 
dren in  private  families  as  we  are  coming  to  do  in  the 
United  States,  for  in  the  first  place  the  number  was  too 
great  and  then  the  time  to  prepare  for  them  too  limited ; 
mass  care  was  the  only  thing  practicable.  But  further 
than  this,  Belgium  is  Catholic,  the  Minister  was  Catholic, 
and  almost  all  the  children  were  Catholic,  and  nobody 
thought  of  employing  anything  but  the  traditional  Catholic 
method.  Every  school  or  closely  related  group  of  schools 
had  a  priest  or  aumonier,  as  he  was  called.  Sometimes 
the  director  was  a  priest  and  always  the  greater  part  of 
the  work  was  done  by  religious  sisters. 

There  were  three  main  groups  of  these  colonies : 

a.  In  or  around  Paris  to  the  number  of  3,000  children 
under  Senator  Empain,  a  member  of  the  Belgian  Parlia- 
ment; 

b.  In  ^Normandy,  the  region  of  Rouen  and  Le  Havre, 
comprising  some  3,000  more,  under  M.  Olbrecht; 

c.  In  the  region  along  the  coast  between  Dieppe  and 
Calais. 

There  were  scattered  groups  here  and  there  in  France 
and  many  of  the  Paris  colonies  were  sent  to  the  south  of 
France  when  it  seemed  as  if  the  Germans  were  coming 
into  the  city  in  June,  1918.  American  Red  Cross  camions 
started  to  evacuate  the  children  but  while  the  evacuation 
was  in  progress,  the  tide  turned  at  Chateau-Thierry  and 
so  about  half  the  children  stayed. 

The  Belgian  system  of  decentralized  government,  strong 
in  every  little  community,  in  contrast  with  the  French 
centralized  government  depending  wholly  on  the  man 
above,  showed  results  in  these  colonies.     Each  colony  had 


104  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

its  own  individuality  and  employed  its  own  metliods.  The 
universal  principle  was  illustrated  over  and  over  again 
that  results  are  directly  in  proportion  to  leadership.  If 
the  Minister  had  the  right  person,  man  or  woman,  priest 
or  layman,  head  or  acting  head  in  any  colony,  the  colony 
did  its  work  well.  Great  fussiness  over  forms  of  organi- 
zation or  mere  names  was  whipped  out  of  us  by  war,  and 
the  one  question  we  came  to  ask  was  "Is  there  some  one  in 
this  institution,  whether  in  office  or  kitchen,  who  can  and 
will  run  this  job  ?" 

The  colonies  comprised  usually  from  80  to  100  children 
each.  Some  were  larger,  some  were  smaller.  The  cost  per 
capita  of  running  the  colonies  was  at  first  70  centimes  per 
child  per  day,  but  afterward,  as  prices  went  up,  the  cost 
became  1.25  francs  per  day.  It  was  less  in  proportion,  of 
course,  in  the  larger  colonies.  To  balance  this,  some  of 
the  Belgians  asserted  vigorously  that  if  contagion  broke 
out  the  virulence  of  the  disease  was  greater  in  the  large 
colonies.  It  was  not  simply  that  there  were  more  cases 
but  the  cases  were  more  severe.  Dr.  Rowland  G.  Freeman 
of  !New  York  says  that  this  view  is  generally  held  among 
pediatricians  of  the  United  States. 

The  Liberals  and  Socialists  of  the  government  were  al- 
ways inclined  to  criticize  the  Colonies  Scolaires,  not  that 
children  were  not  fed,  clothed  and  kindly  treated,  but 
that  the  educational  methods  were  archaic.  Said  one  in- 
telligent woman  at  Le  Havre :  "Here  are  four  years  these 
children  are  out  of  regular  schools  and  the  time  is  wasted." 

We  have  in  the  United  States  the  teachers  who  "keep 
school"  rather  than  teach  school,  and  some  of  the  hard 
worked  sisters  at  these  colonies,  who  had  little  schooling 
themselves,  did  not  run  very  high  grade  schools.  But  the 
children  were  kept  clean,  were  taught  their  religion,  and 
eeemed  happy.  In  some  of  the  schools  very  remarkable 
work  was  done  in  sewing  and  embroidery.  In  several, 
beautiful  lace  was  made.  All  the  children  were  drilled  in 
singing  and  recitation  and  even  gave  little  plays.     ISTo 


THE  CHILDREN'S  COLONIES  105 

American  public  schools  could  equal  tliem  along  these 
lines.  When  the  Minister  or  a  Bishop  or  American  Eed 
Cross  man  came,  there  was  almost  always  a  reception 
where  the  children  sang  and  where  the  visitor  was  pre- 
sented with  a  "compliment."  A  little  tot  was  jmshed 
forward  who  read  or  recited  an  address  of  welcome  begin- 
ning "Digne  Bienfaiteur"  and  expressed  the  thanks  of 
the  colony  for  the  aid  of  the  American  people  through  the 
American  Red  Cross  or  whoever  else  it  might  be. 

To  find  places  in  which  to  establish  colonies  was  a  diffi- 
culty. It  was  met  by  the  loan  of  chateaux,  by  taking  the 
abandoned  buildings  of  religious  orders  driven  out  of 
France,  by  the  French  Government  giving  schools  or  other 
public  buildings,  and  by  hiring  or  borrowing  great  summer 
hotels  along  the  coast. 

One  of  the  first  things  we  did  was  to  buy  a  number  of 
cows  to  increase  the  milk  supply  of  the  colonies.  We  or- 
dered expensive  ISTormandy  cows  worth  900  or  1,000  francs 
each,  but  a  purchasing  agent  in  Paris  found  he  could  get 
Breton  cows  for  500  francs  each  and  on  the  score  of  econ- 
omy did  so.  The  little  wild  animals  ate  heartily  and 
gave  practically  no  milk.  They  had  to  be  resold  at  a  loss 
and  the  beautiful  big  Xormandy  cows  took  their  places. 

We  soon  saw  that  some  of  the  colonies  needed  to  be 
waked  up  with  organized  play,  and  in  the  early  days  se- 
cured an  initial  appropriation  of  2,000  francs  for  toys. 
With  all  of  the  Red  Cross  Commissions,  toys  did  their 
part,  as  well  as  bread  and  meat.  Footballs,  baseballs,  in- 
door games,  and  dolls  helped  educate  the  children  and 
helped  roll  back  the  loneliness  and  misery  which,  in 
some  colonies  especially,  always  threatened. 

The  El  Paso  (Texas)  Chapter  of  the  Red  Cross  seemed 
to  realize  all  this  for  in  the  fall  of  1917  they  sent  $500  to 
buy  a  Christmas  treat  for  children.  It  came  too  late  for 
Christmas,  but  purchased  a  jSTew  Year's  treat  of  cakes  and 
chocolate  in  33  colonies  in  which  were  3,810  children. 

Far  more  extensive  and  important,  of  course,  was  the 


106  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

distribution  of  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  clothing  to 
these  colonies.  The  nuns  were  famous  needlewomen  and 
taught  the  little  girls  to  sew.  Old  garments  were  beau- 
tifully refitted  and  made  over.  And  both  to  teach  the 
children  and  to  increase  the  ability  of  each  colony  to 
look  after  its  own  clothing  problem,  we  bought  sewing 
machines  for  between  20  and  30  colonies. 

Just  off  the  main  road  from  Paris  to  Rouen  at  St. 
]lliers-les-Bois  and  some  sixty  miles  from  Paris,  the 
Minister  had  a  colony  to  teach  agriculture  and  trades  to 
the  larger  boys.  We  helped  install  electricity,  the  boys 
doing  much  of  the  work.  This  was  used  for  lighting  and 
for  pumping  water.  We  purchased  sheep,  pigs,  cows,  and 
horses,  both  to  stock  the  farm  which  gave  them  their 
support,  and  to  give  opportunity  for  teaching  husbandry, 
spending  21,000  francs  at  this  colony. 

At  Cayeux-sur-mer  up  the  coast  between  Dieppe  and 
Boulogne,  and  near  the  mouth  of  the  Somme,  we  installed 
three  barracks  18  by  100  feet,  at  a  cost  of  30,000  francs  to 
take  care  of  new  arrivals  from  the  front. 

There  were  many  more  or  less  independent  colonies  of 
children,  nominally  under  the  Minister,  not  counted,  how- 
ever, as  Colonies  Scolaires. 

With  two  especially,  our  relations  became  especially 
close — Wisques  and  Wizernes — partly  because  they  were 
near  one  of  our  main  routes  to  the  front,  and  partly  be- 
cause of  our  friendship  for  the  interesting  old  man  at 
the  head. 

The  Abbe  Delaere,  since  the  war.  Dean  of  the  destroyed 
Cathedral  at  Ypres,  was  a  faithful  parish  priest  in  Ypres 
before  the  war.  He  stayed  through  the  first  attack  on 
Ypres  in  the  fall  of  1914  and  was  there  during  the  second 
attack  in  March,  1915,  when  Ypres  was  destroyed.  Thou- 
sands of  civilians  at  first  tried  to  stay  through  the  bom- 
bardment, taking  refuge  in  their  cellars.  Troops  and  even 
relief  workers  searching  especially  for  them  have  some- 
times been   deceived   into  thinking  everybody  had  gone 


THE  CHILDREN'S  COLONIES  107 

from  a  shelled  town,  when  in  fact,  many  of  the  cellars  in 
some  other  part  of  the  town  have  been  full  of  them.  Abbe 
Delaere  stayed  through  the  shelling  and  burning  of  Ypres, 
giving  the  last  rites  of  the  church  to  the  dying,  burying  the 
dead,  helping  survivors  get  away.  He  did  not  go  until 
ordered  out  in  person  by  the  Belgian  Minister  of  War, 
and  he  is  said  to  have  been  the  last  civilian  to  leave  Ypres. 
Many  tell  yet  of  the  tall  spare  old  man  with  fine  scholarly 
face,  in  long,  black  cassock,  walking  back  and  forth  on 
the  roof  of  his  church,  kicking  off  falling  fire  brands  to 
save  the  structure,  while  German  shells  crashed  around 
and  the  flames  of  the  doomed  city  lit  up  the  scene.  He 
had  a  decoration  from  the  King  for  his  bravery.  We 
found  him  in  1917  living  in  the  old  chateau  of  the  Counts 
of  Wisques,  three  miles  from  St.  Omer,  and  some  30  miles 
back  of  Ypres,  but  always  within  sound  of  the  gnins  which 
kept  going  at  Ypres  for  over  four  years.  Here  he  had 
established  a  refuge  for  the  children  of  Ypres — the  little 
girls  in  the  chateau,  and  the  little  boys  a  mile  away  in 
some  old  buildings  and  under  his  assistant,  the  jolly  Father 
Dilger  and  the  good  Mere  Godelieve.  He  had  over  600  in 
all.  When  we  had  visitors  for  the  front,  we  sometimes 
took  them  to  Ypres  and  then  back  to  see  the  children  of 
Ypres.  'No  pen  can  do  justice  to  the  desolation  of  the 
old  Flemish  city,  as  it  was  in  1917  and  1918.  For  visit- 
ors the  impression  was  deepened  by  British  sentinels  who 
stopped  the  car  and  ordered  everybody  to  put  on  helmets 
and  adjust  gas  masks.  Almost  always  shells  were  falling 
in  the  city  or  going  overhead.  Several  times  visitors  were 
killed  in  Ypres,  but  luckily  none  for  whom  we  were  re- 
sponsible. It  made  the  British  very  reluctant  to  give  per- 
mits for  the  city.  When  we  took  into  Ypres  in  the 
spring  of  1918  a  member  of  the  United  States  Senate, 
Senator  Thompson  of  Kansas,  he  had  several  very  narrow 
escapes,  both  in  the  city,  on  the  road  down  from  Furnes, 
and  on  the  road  out  by  Vlamertinghe  and  Poperinghe.  Af- 
ter the  danger  and  universal  destruction,  the  empty  menac- 


108  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

ing  streets  with  pieces  of  shell  all  over  the  pavements,  the 
anxiety  as  to  where  the  next  one  would  fall,  the  mad  race 
down  the  shelled  road,  visitors  were  generally  ready  for 
anything  farther  back.  What  we  showed  them  at  Wisques 
was  one  of  the  loveliest  of  landscapes  in  France,  trees  dat- 
ing back  for  centuries,  hish  meadows,  rich  gardens,  birds, 
bees,  flowers,  children.  They  ate  generally  in  the  huge 
kitchen  of  the  chateau  by  the  great  fireplace  in  which 
their  dinner  was  cooked,  thick  stone  walls  around  them, 
served  by  good  sisters  who  knew  how  to  cook,  with  appe- 
tites sharpened  by  long  hours  of  travel  and  a  "thank 
God"  in  their  hearts  that  thev  had  done  it  and  had  come 
out  alive.  And  often  for  our  visitors  the  good  Abbe  drew 
from  a  closet  a  bottle  of  the  little  store  of  wine  he  had 
brought  out  of  Ypres  when  he  came.  The  most  rabid 
teetotaler  could  no  more  refuse  it  than  he  could  refuse  the 
wine  of  communion  if  he  were  a  believer.  It  was  about 
the  highest  mark  of  gratitude  the  Abbe  could  show.  It 
was  communion  with  the  old  Ypres,  the  cloth  hall  and 
cathedral,  its  happy  people,  all  scattered  and  many  dead, 
that  we  drank  in  the  wine  of  Ypres,  It  was  a  rite — that 
drinking  with  the  Abbe — the  coldest  blooded  !N^ew  York 
business  men  sensed  it  and  were  moved  by  it.  And  they 
drank  with  a  determination  that  these  things  should  never 
happen  again. 

If  there  were  time,  the  children  sang  and  recited  for 
the  visitors,  or  if  it  were  the  play  hour,  they  took  them 
into  their  big  circle  dancing  around  the  courtyard.  Every 
child  had  a  history  that  was  dramatic.  Their  lives  had 
been  saved  almost  by  a  miracle.  One  or  both  parents  had 
been  killed.  We  sometimes  saw  visiting  her  little  one  a 
mother  who  had  only  one  arm  in  which  to  clasp  the  child. 
These  little  girls  at  Wisques  showed  less  of  the  repression 
and  more  of  the  spontaneity  and  initiative  which  the  apos- 
tles of  progressive  education  are  talking  about.  The  older 
girls  were  little  mothers  for  the  younger.  The  good  Abbe 
had  a  group  of  sisters  here  far  above  the  average — one  or 


THE  CHILDREN'S  COLONIES  109 

two  with  normal  training — and  the  INIother  Superior  had 
both  strength  and  charm. 

The  colonies  of  Wisqiics  and  Wizernes  nominally  un- 
der a  work  called  the  Aide  Civile  Beige  actually  were  in- 
dependent, but  were  helped  by  the  Belgian  Minister  of  the 
Interior.  Their  greatest  friend  and  patron  was  a  sober- 
looking  English  Quaker  who  was  the  Adjutant  of  the 
Friends'  Ambulance  Unit  at  Dunkirk,  who  advised  and 
helped  the  Abbe,  and  won  the  hearts  of  the  children  as  no 
other  visitor  of  any  country.  He  was  and  will  be  Vader 
Mordey  in  Flanders  for  many  years.  Wizernes  eventually 
had  to  be  evacuated  to  Jouev-les-Tours,  south  of  Paris,  as 
long  range  German  shells  and  aerial  bombs  were  falling 
around.  We  thought  it  a  mistake  and  so  did  the  brave 
Abbe,  but  those  directly  in  charge  of  the  little  lives  did  not 
want  to  take  chances. 

All  told,  we  helped  Abbe  Delaere  over  a  period  of  many 
months  to  the  extent  of  115,000  francs.  American  shoes 
and  clothing  and  food,  a  barrack  for  a  trade  school,  money 
for  tools,  were  all  sent  up  in  spite  of  enormous  difficulties 
of  transportation.  And  at  the  end  all  the  children  were 
taken  back  into  Flanders  and  safely  installed  by  the  help 
the  American  Eed  Cross  was  able  to  give. 

Less  spectacular,  but  no  less  deadly,  was  the  continual 
shelling  of  Flemish  villages  in  1917  and  1918,  and  the 
bombing  of  towns  farther  back. 

We  bought  barracks  and  secured  the  Chateau  of  Eecques 
near  Montreuil-sur-mer  for  the  Minister  and  made  provi- 
sion for  five  hundred  additional  children  who  were  brought 
out  in  the  spring  of  1918.  The  first  inmates  of  the  new 
colony  were  children  who  had  been  evacuated  once  before 
from  the  villages  behind  the  lines  and  placed  in  Calais. 
This  w^as  safe  for  a  time  but  finally  the  aviators  began 
to  attack  it.  One  night  our  Commissioner  stayed  in  Calais 
when  there  was  a  severe  bombing  in  which  there  were 
between  200  and  300  civilian  casualties.  A  bomb  fell  in 
the  yard  of  the  children's  colony,  breaking  glass,  wound- 


110  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

ing  some  of  the  huge  trees  and  frighteniug  everybody. 
Both  the  sisters  and  children  begged  the  Commissioner  to 
help  take  them  away.  Impervious  to  fear  as  seemed  some 
of  the  little  Flemish  children  others  had  been  through  ex- 
periences which  told  on  them  severely.  These  children  at 
Calais  knew  the  power  of  high  explosives  and  lay  awake 
trembling  night  after  night  as  the  Germans  came  over. 
The  Commissioner  took  measures  which  resulted  in  these 
children  being  moved  quickly  to  Recques  where  they  had 
great  woods  and  lovely  fields  in  which  to  play.  This  col- 
ony was  made  ready  late  in  the  war  but  paid  for  its  cost, 
oG7,000  francs,  ten  times  over.  It  was  one  of  the  colonies 
for  which  the  Red  Cross  paid  all  the  expenses.  After  the 
war,  the  barracks  were  given  to  the  Belgian  Government 
to  use  in  the  devastated  areas. 

Another  project  for  children  much  debated  and  much 
criticized  but  fully  justified  by  events  was  the  construction 
of  a  colony  in  Free  Belgium  itself  within  range  of  enemy 
shell  fire,  at  a  little  place  next  the  French  frontier  called 
Leysele.  Against  the  project  was  the  danger  of  capture 
by  the  Germans  if  they  broke  through  behind  Flanders 
in  one  of  their  many  attacks,  or  moved  forward  in  front. 
Against  it  also  was  the  danger  of  a  shell  falling  on  the 
colony.  For  it  was  the  unanswerable  argument  of  the 
peasants  that  the  fields  were  big  and  the  shells,  even  the 
greatest,  small  in  comparison,  and  that  there  was  plenty  of 
room  for  shells  to  go  over ;  further  that  many  parents  who 
lived  in  very  dangerous  places  would  not  send  their  chil- 
dren into  France  but  would  send  them  to  a  place  nearby 
in  their  own  country.  So  with  the  energetic  help  of  Jean 
Steyaert,  Commissaire  d' Arrondissement  of  Furnes,  we 
got  up  ten  barracks  bought  in  Switzerland  and  shipped  to 
Furnes  by  railway.  We  put  some  150,000  francs  into  this 
project.  The  barracks  sheltered  children  but  not  as  we 
had  planned.  All  at  once  in  the  spring  of  1918,  during 
a  terrible  shelling,  over  the  fields  from  Furnes,  Alvering- 
liem  and  other  places,  came  hundreds  of  adults  and  chil- 


THE  CHILDREN'S  COLONIES  111 

dren  seeking  shelter.  The  colony  was  used  first  as  a  refu- 
gee clearing  station  and  then  for  some  months  as  a  refu- 
gee colony,  housing  250  adults  and  150  children.  Nothing 
was  more  necessary  in  the  relief  field  as  well  as  in  army 
headquarters  than  quick  change  of  plans  to  meet  changed 
conditions.  We  never  made  of  Leysele  what  we  had 
planned,  but  we  made  something  of  it  far  better  for  the 
emergency  which  soon  confronted  us. 

In  this  refugee  colony  we  had  an  outbreak  of  typhoid 
in  the  summer  of  1918,  but  it  was  quickly  brought  under 
control. 

N'othing  more  picturesque  in  children's  work  could  be 
found  anywhere  than  a  little  children's  colony  in  Boit- 
schoucke  among  the  camps  of  the  soldiers  and  just  back  of 
the  second  line  of  trenches.  General  Rucquoy,  command- 
ing in  that  sector,  found  children  who  wouldn't  go  away, 
living  in  the  farms,  without  schooling.  He  raised  money 
among  his  officers,  secured  a  couple  of  barracks  from  the 
army,  an  intelligent  priest  to  take  charge  and  opened  a 
school  which  survived  all  of  war's  alarms  until  the  shell- 
ing of  March,  1918,  when  the  children  were  quickly  sent 
away.  This  school  differed  from  the  others  in  that  the 
children  went  back  to  the  farms  to  sleep  at  night.  The 
old  rule  that  the  open  country  was  the  place  of  danger 
and  the  walled  town  the  place  of  safety,  was  reversed  in 
this  war. 

These  little  children  at  Boitschoucke  did  not  seem  ner- 
vous. They  jeered  at  German  aeroplanes  when  they 
passed  over  and  at  the  shells  high  up  headed  for  Dun- 
kirk, and  had  a  thoroughly  happy  time.  The  American 
Bed  Cross  put  up  for  them  a  new  barrack  for  a  refectory 
and  assembly  hall.  The  school  made  every  visitor  throw 
up  his  hands  in  amazement,  made  practically  everybody 
object  to  the  Bed  Cross  endorsement  of  "so  dangerous  a 
project."  But  it  was  another  illustration  of  doing  the 
best  possible  under  the  circumstances,  and  not  only  did 
the  children  survive,   but  the  Bed   Cross  barrack  came 


112  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

through  intact  although  there  were  shell  holes  and  de- 
stroyed buildings  all  around  it. 

A  Scotch  lady,  Miss  Georgia  Fyffe,  lived  at  the  Belgian 
front  for  two  or  three  years  evacuating  children.  She  was 
brave  as  a  lion,  most  intelligent,  but  not  amenable  to 
military  discipline,  and  was  sent  out  of  the  army  area 
in  1918  by  the  British.  She  continued  to  look  after  a 
children's  colony  she  had  established  at  JSTeuilly  and  the 
American  Red  Cross  helped  her  with  two  thousand  francs 
a  month  and  with  clothing  to  the  value  of  four  thousand 
francs  more. 

xVll  kinds  of  children's  agencies  demanded  our  help. 

We  did  every  conceivable  kind  of  a  thing  for  a  child 
from  building  a  little  hospital  and  dugout  for  the  brave 
Madame  Rolin  at  La  Panne,  and  a  creche  for  mothers 
making  munitions  at  Graville,  to  great  colonies  like  Recq 
and  Le  Glandier. 

All  told,  we  spent  in  children's  work  $1,159,553.54. 

]^ext  to  care  of  the  men  lighting  the  battle,  comes  care 
of  the  children. 

They  are  peculiarly  endangered  by  war.  Birth  rates 
go  down,  death  rates  go  up,  education  is  interrupted,  moral 
standards  are  lowered.  Saving  the  children  for  the  re- 
building of  their  country  must  go  hand  in  hand  with  help- 
iug  soldiers  save  the  country.  There  is  no  use  of  saving 
it  if  there  is  to  be  nobody  to  occupy  it,  as  there  is  no  joy 
in  occupying  it  if  it  has  not  been  saved. 


o 
X 

u 

K 


V 


c   *-; 

rt     > 


:2  « 


3 

o 

U) 

c 

'e 

o 

U 

Vi 

C 

cs 

E 


c 
PS 


n 
-a 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Stories  About  Children  Who  Came  to  Know  the 
American  Red  Cross 

A  Little  Boy  Who  Lived  in  the  English  Trenches 

GERARD  VAN  DEN  BROCKE'S  parents  had  died 
from  the  exposure  and  suffering  of  the  first  months 
of  the  war.  Their  home  had  been  at  Langemarck  not  far 
from  Ypres.  The  father,  Constant  van  den  Brocke,  was 
the  village  blacksmith.  When  the  Germans  approached, 
the  whole  village  fled  together.  The  van  den  Brocke  fam- 
ily went  to  Ypres  and  then  on  to  Reninghelst,  a  little 
village  near  the  frontier  of  France.  Here  the  mother  fell 
sick  and  soon  died.  Within  a  month  the  father  also  died. 
Gerard  was  then  only  eight  years  of  age.  An  aunt  and  a 
godfather  cared  for  the  little  boy  and  he  stayed  two  years 
at  the  front.  The  whole  country  was  full  of  English  sol- 
diers who  were  good  to  the  Flemish  boy,  taught  him  Eng- 
lish, carried  him  about  the  country  on  motor  lorries,  and 
even  to  the  trenches  where  he  stayed  whole  days  at  a  time. 
Ho  said  he  liked  the  trenches  and  was  not  afraid  of  the 
shells. 

Finally,  the  good  Commissaire  df  Arrondissement 
learned  of  the  life  the  little  boy  was  leading  and  sent 
him  away  to  school  at  Crichtot,  between  Havre  and  Rouen. 
There  were  no  Tommies  at  Crichtot,  but  he  was  in  good 
hands.  His  bright,  eager  little  face,  his  pride  in  his  broken 
English,  his  quick  comprehension  of  everything  said  to 
him  explained  why  the  Tommies  had  adopted  him. 

When  the  El  Paso  Chapter  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
sent  $500  over  for  a  Christmas  treat  for  Belgian  children, 

113 


114  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

about  sixty  centimes  or  eleven  cents  for  each  boy  went  to 
Crichtot.  The  treat  was  to  supplement  the  regular  meal. 
What  the  boys  called  for  when  this  donation  became  kno\vn 
were  pancakes  and  chocolate.  Good  Sister  Eegina  was 
the  head  cook,  a  Flemish  woman  wdth  one  of  those  noble 
faces  Frans  Hals  loved  to  paint.  She  stayed  up  until 
after  midnight  baking  the  cakes. 

A  short  time  later  the  American  Eed  Cross  Commis- 
sioner was  introduced  at  the  colony  as  the  one  who  had 
given  the  treat.  He  was  received  with  such  cheers 
and  so  touched  was  he  by  the  sight  of  the  eighty 
little  boys  who  had  all  come  out  of  the  horrors 
of  war,  that  he  cast  around  for  a  reason  for 
another  treat.  Suddenly  he  remembered  that  it  was 
March  4.  Then  and  there  $10  of  Eed  Cross  money 
went  into  an  extra  treat.  ISTo  more  cakes  made  of  wheat 
flour  were  possible,  but  chocolate  and  rice  cakes  were 
ordered  to  celebrate  the  day  on  which  the  United  States 
inaugurates  its  Presidents.  Neither  the  millionaire 
contributor  in  the  United  States  nor  the  woman  who  earns 
her  dollar  over  the  washtubs  to  give  to  the  American  Red 
Cross,  would  have  considered  the  expenditure  foolish 
if  they  could  have  seen  the  faces  of  those  boys,  or  heard 
them  shout  Vive  VAynh'ique,  Vive  la  Belique,  Vive  la 
Croix  Rouge  Americaine. 

The  Story  of  Martha  Comeyn 

One  of  the  older  girls  of  Saussay  was  Martha  Comeyn. 
Quiet,  sweet  and  motherly  in  caring  for  the  smaller  girls, 
modest  and  self-possessed,  it  was  hard  to  realize  what  she 
had  gone  through  in  the  war.  She  told  me  that  she  was 
born  at  Reninghe,  May  10,  1901,  and  it  brought  to  my 
mind  a  night  during  the  period  of  the  fighting  when  I 
had  dinner  at  Reninghe  in  a  shed.  There  was  not  a  whole 
building  in  the  village  and  few"  half  buildings. 

Martha  had  a  father,  two  older  brothers  and  a  younger 
sister.    Her  mother  had  died  before  the  war.    In  August, 


STORIES  ABOUT  CHILDREN  115 

1914,  the  3'oiiiiger  sister  was  in  Antwerp  on  a  visit.  When 
I  talked  to  Martha  at  Saussaj,  she  told  me  that  thej  had 
never  had  a  line  from  this  sister. 

When  Reninghe  was  attacked,  the  father  went  to  Pope- 
ringhe  where  he  continued  his  business  of  buying  and 
selling  horses.  One  brother  entered  the  Belgian  Army, 
the  other  w^ent  to  work  on  the  roads  near  Poperinghe  for 
the  English  Army,  until  he  should  be  called  to  the  Belgian 
colors.  Martha  herself  went  to  Dickebusch,  not  far  away, 
to  live  with  her  grandmother. 

One  day  in  ISTovember,  the  little  girl  received  terrible 
news.  The  brother  who  worked  on  the  roads  had  been 
badly  wounded  at  Vlamertinghe,  between  Ypres  and 
Poperinghe.  He  wanted  to  see  his  sister  and  his  father; 
so  together  they  went  to  the  wooden  barrack  near  Pope- 
ringhe that  was  a  hospital. 

The  brother  had  been  accustomed,  with  the  other  men 
who  worked  on  the  road,  to  go  once  a  week  to  get  his  money. 
As  the  men  crowded  around  the  little  pay  office,  a  big 
shell  came  without  warning.  It  made  a  direct  hit  on  the 
crowd,  killing  twenty-one.  Both  of  the  lad's  legs  were 
taken  off  near  the  body.  He  lived  four  days.  Martha 
went  to  see  him  each  day;  he  knew  her  and  spoke  to  her 
until  the  last  day,  when  he  did  not  know  any  one.  He 
was  only  nineteen. 

After  this  it  became  very  dangerous  at  Dickebusch  and 
the  father  sent  Martha  away.  For  over  two  years  she 
lived  at  Saussay,  cared  for  by  the  White  Sisters.  With 
the  other  little  girls  she  was  taught  to  sew  and  embroider 
by  the  sisters  who  were  famous  needlewomen.  Out  of 
cloth  given  by  the  American  Red  Cross  she  made  by  hand 
many  of  her  own  clothes.  Then  one  day  a  big  wagon 
brought  from  Yvetot  a  wonderful  sewing  machine,  also 
from  the  American  Red  Cross,  and  she  was  taught  to 
operate  it.  The  months  at  Saussay  did  much  to  make  this 
little  girl  well  and  strong  and  to  fit  her  for  life  in  Belgium 
after  the  war. 


116  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

The  Story  of  Julia  de  Braeck 

At  the  Colonie  Scolaire  of  Campeaux,  we  saw  Julia  de 
Braeek,  twelve  years  of  age,  who  had  been  in  the  colony 
since  the  death  of  her  mother  nearly  two  years  before. 

Her  family,  the  father,  mother  and  two  children,  had 
fled  from  Elverdinghe,  a  badly  shelled  town,  and  found 
refuge  in  Poperinghe,  which  was  less  shelled.  But  any 
shelling  is  dangerous.  One  day  at  Poperinghe,  the  young- 
est child,  a  little  boy  only  two  years  old,  ran  out  into  the 
street.  At  that  moment  a  big  shell  came  screaming  into 
Poperinghe  and  landed  with  the  usual  terrifying  bang 
and  crash.  The  mother  ran  out  after  her  boy,  when  a 
second  shell  came.  It  caught  her  and  she  was  instantly 
killed.  But  the  boy  was  unharmed.  The  father  was 
away  at  his  work  on  the  road  for  the  English  Army.  Lit- 
tk'  Julia  got  her  brother,  put  him  in  the  house,  and  then 
knelt  in  the  street  by  the  mangled  remains  of  her  mother. 

She  smiled  when  we  talked  to  her,  but  her  face  in  re- 
pose was  sad.  The  war  leaves  its  mark  on  the  chil- 
dren too. 

She  carried  a  little  black  bordered  card,  the  kind  the 
French  and  Belgian  people  use  to  announce  the  death  of 
a  member  of  the  family.    It  said : 

"Marie  Irma  Druelle, 

wife  of  Jerome  de  Braeck. 

Victim  of  an  enemy's  shell, 

21st  April,  191G,  10  A.  M. 

Be  ye  also  ready  for  ye  know  not  the  hour," 

One  of  the  reasons  why  the  American  people  kept  the 
American  Bed  Cross  in  Europe  was  to  help  just  such 
motherless  girls.  The  memories  of  suffering  and  bereave- 
ment, the  little  souvenirs  cherished  with  such  care,  linked 
up  the  Belgian  children  to  mothers  of  children  every^vhere. 
And  so  American  garments,  American  food,  American 
2noney  went  overseas  with  unstinted  generosity  to  help 


STORIES  ABOUT  CHILDREN  117 

little  girls  like  Julia  come  safely  through  the  hard  years 
of  the  war. 

The  Bomh  Which  Killed  Six  at  Furnes 

Up  at  Furnes  I  had  often  seen  the  ruins  of  the  house 
where  one  day  in  July,  1917,  a  mother  and  five  of  her 
children  were  killed  instantly  by  a  German  bomb.  I  had 
seen  the  father,  one  of  the  Garde  Civile,  standing  at  his 
post,  and  had  thought  of  his  tragic  home-coming  just  ten 
minutes  after  the  pitiful  thing  happened.  Many  times  I 
had  pointed  out  the  ruins  to  visitors.  I  had  told  the  story 
as  I  had  told  the  story  of  the  house  at  Dunkirk  where  one 
bomb  killed  fifty  people  in  a  cellar,  or  of  the  strong  house 
at  Poperinghe  destroyed  in  the  same  way,  or  of  the  thirty 
people  asphyxiated  at  Calais.  It  had  been  to  me  just  one 
of  many  horrors.  But  after  a  day  at  the  Colonic  Scolaire 
at  Grosfys  Chateau,  France,  the  home  of  ninety  little 
Belgian  boys,  where  I  heard  the  full  details  of  this  story 
that  concerns  Marcel  Bedert  and  his  little  brother  Odile, 
I  could  never  think  of  that  heap  of  bricks  in  Furnes  again 
or  that  lonely  policeman  at  his  dangerous  post  without 
special  emotion. 

]\Iarcel  and  Odile  were  the  only  children  left  of  that 
family  of  Furnes — saved  because  they  had  previously  been 
sent  away  to  Grosfys  Chateau.  When  I  heard  at  Grosfys 
that  there  were  there,  I  asked  to  sec  them,  and  two  shy  but 
attractive  little  Flemish  boys  soon  came  in  to  the  Mother 
Superior's  room  where  I  was  w^aiting. 

As  soon  as  Marcel,  the  older  boy,  understood  that  I  had 
come  from  Furnes  only  the  day  before  and  knew  his  father 
and  all  about  the  "accident,"  as  he  called  it,  he  was  in- 
tensely interested.  He  tried  to  tell  me  how  the  letter  came 
with  the  terrible  news  and  just  how  it  all  happened. 

A  noble  Belgian  lady,  the  wife  of  the  Minister  of  Jus- 
tice, was  with  me  at  the  time  and  translated  what  the 
boy  was  saying,  although  a  child's  Flemish  is  not  unlike  a 
child's  English  and  I  could  understand  many  words. 


118  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Finally,  Marcel  fumbled  in  his  pocket  where  boys  keep 
their  treasures  and  pulled  out  a  little  leather  pocketbook. 
He  unwrapped  it,  unfolded  much  tissue  paper,  and  took 
out  two  little  pictures.  They  were  poor  pitiful  copies  of 
family  portraits.  But  they  were  his  treasured  remem- 
brances. One  was  of  his  mother  and  three  little  brothers, 
and  the  other  of  his  two  sisters,  a  girl  sixteen  or  eighteen 
and  a  child  of  two  or  three  years.  On  the  back  of  the 
picture  of  the  two  girls  I  read,  "Pray  for  the  souls  of 
Julia  and  Gertrude  Bedert,  died  July  10,  1917." 

The  noble  Belgian  lady  drew  the  little  boys  to  her  and 
said  to  them  in  Flemish — and  it  needed  no  translation : 
"I  will  kiss  you  now  for  your  mother.  And  for  her  I  tell 
you  to  grow  up  brave  and  good  men." 

I  took  great  comfort  in  the  next  half  hour  in  every 
evidence  I  could  see  of  the  help  the  American  Red  Cross 
had  given  to  the  Colonie  at  Grosfys — the  cows  which  fur- 
nished milk,  the  sewing  machines  which  made  clothes, 
the  clothes  themselves.  And  when  I  saw  the  ninety  boys 
together,  I  asked  them  to  think  of  any  special  treat  they 
would  like  from  the  American  Bed  Cross.  I  expected  to 
hear  "chocolate,"  but  they  all  shouted  "sausages."  It 
seemed  that  there  was  a  special  sausage  made  nearby  of 
which  they  were  very  fond.  "But,"  said  the  good  sister, 
"the  sausages  cost  twenty  centimes  each  (four  cents)  ; 
that  would  be  eighteen  francs."  I  said,  "Make  it  thirty- 
six  francs  and  give  them  each  two  sausages.  And  here  is 
fifty  francs  (ten  dollars),  put  the  balance  in  figs" — for 
one  little  boy  had  shouted  figs. 

The  last  thing  we  heard  as  we  left  Grosfys  Chateau  was 
a  glad  shout  for  figs  and  sausages,  for  America  and  for  the 
American  Red  Cross. 

The  Story  of  a  Boy  Who  Loved  Animals 

Georges  van  Xeuville  was  born  at  Coxyde,  a  village 
which  lay  on  the  coast,  in  the  little  corner  of  Belgium 
which  the  Germans  never  conquered.     His  father  was  a 


STORIES  ABOUT  CHILDREN  119 

fisherman  who  before  the  war  had  made  several  voyages 
to  the  coast  of  Ireland.  There  were  seven  children  in  the 
family  and  they  lived  on  a  little  farm.  Georges  espe- 
cially loved  the  animals.  They  had  a  goat  and  chickens, 
hut  their  greatest  treasure  was  a  cow.  Coxyde  was  so 
near  the  German  lines  that  the  Belgian  cannon  were  hid- 
den about  the  village  and  on  the  farms.  Every  time  a 
gun  was  fired,  there  was  danger  of  retaliation  from  Ger- 
man shells,  and  on  clear  days,  German  aviators  were 
overhead  trying  to  locate  the  cannon.  Often  they  dropped 
bombs. 

iN^one  of  the  children  were  very  much  afraid  and  gen- 
erally they  did  not  run  for  shelter  when  they  saw  Ger- 
man aeroplanes. 

One  day  as  Georges  was  standing  at  the  gate  of  the 
barnyard,  a  German  aviator  dropped  a  bomb  which  struck 
squarely  in  the  middle  of  the  yard.  There  was  a  terrify- 
ing crash.  Big  pieces  of  iron  went  flying  in  every  direc- 
tion. Georges  cried  out,  "The  goat  and  the  chickens  are 
killed."  The  father  ran  to  his  son  who  was  bleeding;  a 
fragment  of  the  bomb  had  almost  severed  his  arm.  Yet 
the  boy's  first  thought  had  been  of  the  tragedy  in  the  barn- 
yard. Luckily,  the  father  was  able  to  get  a  French  am- 
bulance and  a  surgeon  who  bound  up  the  terrible  wound. 
They  took  Georges  to  a  Belgian  hospital  which  was  lo- 
cated in  an  old  Carthusian  monastery  at  Montreuil.  Here 
the  boy  stayed  four  months  while  a  skillful  surgeon  cared 
for  the  arm  and  saved  it.  But  he  said  that  it  would  al- 
ways be  stiff  and  that  Georges  ought  to  be  taught  a  trade 
for  which  he  would  not  need  both  arms. 

While  at  the  hospital  he  was  overjoyed  to  learn  that  his 
own  family  cow  had  not  been  hurt  by  the  bomb  which  had 
so  grievously  wounded  him. 

At  Montreuil  also  he  learned  how  the  American  Red 
Cross  was  helping  his  country.  He  saw  the  new  X-ray 
machine  and  the  new  electric  lights  which  the  Red  Cross 
had  installed  there.     He  heard  how  the  Red  Cross  had 


120  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

bought  animals  of  all  kinds  for  the  Belgian  colony  of 
older  boys  at  St.  Illiers  farther  back  in  France,  and  begged 
to  be  sent  there  "to  learn  all  about  animals."  At  last  this 
was  done.  He  turned  out  to  be  one  of  the  best  boys  of 
the  school.  Though  he  had  a  withered  arm,  he  had  such 
love  of  all  the  dumb  creatures  and  such  understanding 
that  he  could  do  more  with  them  than  most  boys  who  had 
two  good  arms. 

All  this  time  the  father  stayed  at  the  front,  exposed  to 
the  shells  of  the  Germans.  "Because  of  the  cow,"  said  the 
director  of  the  school,  "to  which  he  is  greatly  attached 
and  which  he  refuses  to  sell,  he  will  not  leave  his  farm." 

It  was  a  happy  day  for  father  and  son  and  all  the  fam- 
ily scattered  far  and  near  when  the  armistice  was  signed, 
and  when,  with  American  Red  Cross  inoney,  Georges  and 
thousands  of  other  little  boys  and  girls  were  sent  back  to 
Belgium. 

The  Story  of  Vincent  l^are 

Vincent  IS'are,  a  little  boy  of  six,  lived  with  his  father 
and  mother  and  sister  at  Ypres.  The  father  was  a  gen- 
darme. Standing  at  his  post  one  day  during  an  air  raid, 
a  piece  of  bomb  struck  him  in  the  side.  For  four  months 
he  lay  in  Countess  van  den  Steen's  hospital  at  Poperinghe; 
then  he  died.  The  mother  stayed  on,  living  as  best  she 
could,  doing  washing  for  the  troops,  until  the  first  day  of 
the  shelling  of  Ypres  in  April,  1915.  During  the  height 
of  the  bombardment,  just  as  she  had  taken  little  Vincent 
in  her  arms  to  comfort  him,  a  great  bomb  came  with  a 
screech  and  bang  and  crash,  smashing  the  house.  It  be- 
headed the  mother,  but  left  the  child  unhurt,  drenched  in 
his  mother's  blood. 

English  Quakers  quickly  came  and  took  little  Vincent 
away.     They  turned  him  over  to  the  Abbe  Delaere,  whom 
the  American  Red  Cross  was  helping  at  Wisques.     There 
he  found  a  second  home. 
Multiply  this  story  ten  thousand  times,  not  always  with 


STORIES  ABOUT  CHILDREN  121 

such  gruesome  details,  but  sometimes  with  more  gmesome 
details,  and  you  have  the  child  problem  of  the  firing  line. 

The  Story  of  the  Little  Girl  Who  Died  of  Fear 

Sometimes  the  children  jeered  at  enemy  aeroplanes,  but 
at  other  times  sensitive  children  suffered  agonies  of  fear. 

Gertrude  Deerock  lived  at  Poperinghe  just  back  of 
Ypres.  Her  father  kept  a  small  inn  and  a  smithy.  Her 
oldest  sister  Gabrielle,  who  was  only  eleven  years  of  age 
when  the  war  broke  out,  helped  the  mother  care  for  Ger- 
trude, her  three  brothers  and  the  baby  sister. 

Back  of  the  house  was  a  large  garden.  A  bomb  from  an 
aeroplane  fell  in  this  garden  while  the  children  were  there 
at  play.  Gabrielle  and  the  three  boys  fled  to  the  kitchen. 
They  did  not  at  first  see  that  the  little  baby  sister  had  been 
wounded  and  that  both  of  her  eyes  had  been  put  out.  jSTor 
did  they  see  Gertrude  for  some  time.  She  was  so  fright- 
ened that  she  lay  where  she  had  fallen  in  a  hole  in  the 
garden.    They  had  to  go  and  pull  her  out. 

Then  all  the  children  except  the  baby  were  sent  away 
into  France — the  boys  to  St.  Obain,  Gabrielle  and  Ger- 
trude to  the  lovely  old  chateau  of  Saussay. 

While  Gabrielle  grew  strong,  Gertrude  steadily  became 
weaker. 

As  the  good  Mother  Superior  said,  "Gertrude  was  al- 
ways sad  and  always  afraid.  If  the  door  slammed,  she 
came  to  me  quivering  with  fear  and  clung  to  my  robe. 
She  was  afraid  to  go  out  of  the  house,  even  with  the  nuns." 

If  the  wind  blew,  or  if  it  rained,  she  was  terrified. 

The  Mother  Superior  put  her  into  a  little  room  adjoin- 
ing her  own,  but  often  in  the  night  she  cried  out:  "J'ai 
peur."  ('T  am  afraid.")  She  curled  herself  up  in  bed  to 
make  herself  as  small  as  possible.  She  ate  less  and  less 
and  after  five  or  six  months  at  Saussay,  she  died  of  fear. 
She  was  one  of  the  martyrs  of  the  war. 

The  American  Red  Cross  helped  save  thousands.     The 


122  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

story  of  Gertrude  Decrock  is  typical  of  the  lives  of  other 
thousands  no  human  power  could  save. 

The  Story  of  a  Little  Girl  Caught  Between  the 
Fighting  Lines 

On  the  coast  in  a  little  village  called  Petites  Dalles,  I 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  fourteen-year-old  flaxen-haired 
Flemish  girl,  named  Jeanne  Beuneken.  One  day  she  told 
me  her  story.  It  showed  how  suddenly  the  war  had  come 
to  the  simple  peasants  who  knew  little  of  world  politics, 
how  much  they  endured,  and  how  some  of  the  children 
came  through  terrible  experiences  comparatively  un- 
scathed. 

Jeanne  lived  with  her  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters 
in  the  village  of  Comines  ten  Brielen.  Mounted  Ger- 
man patrols,  the  Uhlans,  appeared  in  the  village  one  noon 
without  warning.  The  children  were  in  school  and  were 
sent  home.  Almost  immediately  Germans  and  English  be- 
gan fighting  in  the  village  and  neighborhood.  Bullets 
whistled  through  Jeanne's  house  and  neighboring  farm- 
houses began  to  burn.  All  ran  to  the  cellar.  There  they 
stayed  until  darkness  came. 

As  Jeanne  told  the  story  of  that  night,  it  was  very  dra- 
jnatic:  "The  English  came,"  she  said,  "to  tell  us  that 
we  had  better  fly  toward  Ypres.  My  mother  took  the  baby 
Maria  in  her  arms  and  started  with  us  out  of  the  door, 
but  immediately  she  was  hit  by  a  bullet  in  her  shoe.  We 
went  back  to  the  cellar.  My  father  and  the  servant  were 
going  all  the  time  from  one  door  to  another  to  see  if  they 
were  not  burning  our  house.  All  at  once  father  saw  that 
they  were  trying  to  put  fire  on  our  neighbor's  house,  but 
that  it  would  not  burn.  Then  the  Germans  came  to  our 
house  and  in  two  or  three  minutes  all  was  burning.  The 
cattle  were  in  the  stable  and  we  could  not  save  them.  We 
went  away  quickly,  unable  to  take  anything  with  us. 
Mother  had  baby  Maria,  father  was  holding  my  brother 


STORIES  ABOUT  CHILDREN  123 

Simone  by  the  hand,  the  servant  had  my  sister  Yvonne,  I 
was  holding  my  little  sister  Blanche's  hand.  But  mother 
and  Blanche  had  on  wooden  shoes  and  Blanche  kept  losing 
them  off.  I  was  crying  because  I  had  to  go  back  in  the 
dark  to  find  them ;  I  was  so  afraid  of  the  Germans.  Then 
we  lay  down  in  the  ditch  to  escape  the  bullets.  N'obody 
could  sleep.  All  the  night  we  saw  our  house  burning  and 
were  hearing  everything — the  birds  and  cows  and  pigs — 
shrieking  while  they  were  burning.  It  was  so  very  sad  to 
see  and  hear  and  very  hard  to  bear. 

"At  midnight,"  she  said,  "the  bullets  came  from  both 
sides  and  hit  the  wire  near  our  feet,  but  we  were  not 
struck." 

In  the  morning  they  were  so  stiff  and  cold  that  they 
could  hardly  walk,  yet  they  took  the  road  toward  Ypres. 
How  they  slept  under  hedges,  and  in  bams,  how  good  peo- 
ple took  them  in  at  Ypres,  how  there  they  got  the  sad 
news  of  the  death  of  relatives,  how  Ypres  was  shelled  and 
they  had  to  flee  again;  how  her  parents  at  last  found  a 
refuge  at  Steenvoorde  and  how  Jeanne  with  her  little 
brother  and  sisters  was  sent  to  one  of  the  Colonies 
Scolaires — all  that  she  told  so  simply  and  naturally  that 
day  at  Petites  Dalles. 

I  said  to  the  Mother  Superior:  "If  soldiers  should  be 
decorated  for  crawling  out  into  No-Man's-Land  to  get  im- 
portant news,  or  for  rescuing  w^ounded  comrades  under 
fire  or  for  other  feats  of  valor,  so  should  a  little  girl  be 
decorated  who  obeyed  her  mother's  order  and  went  back 
through  the  darkness,  under  fire,  toward  the  enemy,  to 
get  her  sister's  wooden  shoes,  even  though  she  cried  with 
fear  as  she  went." 

Said  the  good  Mother  Superior,  "Only  God  knows  the 
true  story  of  heroism  in  this  war." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  Children's  Own  Stories 

BEFORE  the  war  ended,  I  asked  some  of  the  refugee 
children  to  write  out  the  story  of  their  experiences. 
These  children  were  in  colonies,  taught  by  nuns,  subject  to 
school  discipline  and  as  witnesses  exposed  to  direction  and 
prompting  not  always  intended  as  such.  But  children  are 
keen  observers  and  among  the  thousands  we  met  we  found 
many  whose  contributions  show  originality  and  are  of 
value  in  giving  flesh  and  blood  to  the  bones  of  the  history. 

All  of  these  children  were  in  schools  supported  entirely 
by  the  American  Red  Cross  or  receiving  something  at 
our  hands. 

There  were  two  main  classes  of  children.  There  were 
those  who  fled  before  the  Germans,  sometimes  even  after 
they  were  in  the  village,  and  many  of  these  children  saw 
death  in  its  most  horrible  form,  parents  or  playmates  killed 
and  homes  burned.  Sometimes  they  were  even  caught 
between  the  lines  of  battle. 

Then  there  were  children  who  lived  under  the  Germans 
in  Occupied  Belgium  and  who  were  brought  out  in  1917 
and  1918  by  the  American  Red  Cross  cooperating  with 
the  Queen  or  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  to  be  fed  and 
taught  in  France. 

THE  begi^t:ntin^g  of  the  war 

By  Andre  Braem 

I  lived  at  Voormezeele  in  western  Flanders.  My 
father,  Aloise  Braem,  and  my  mother,  Emma  Beele,  were 
butcher  and  coffeehouse  keeper. 

124 


THE    CHILDREN'S   OWN   STORIES  125 

At  tlie  beginning  of  the  war  I  saw  German  soldiers 
going  everywhere  to  ask  if  there  were  any  spies  about — 
they  also  came  to  our  house  to  have  bread,  meat  and  but- 
ter, as  well  as  straw,  hav  and  oats  for  their  horses. 

I  heard  that  many  people,  mostly  young  men,  had  been 
taken  and  wounded  or  killed  with  bayonet  thrusts.  Others 
were  obliged  to  work  for  our  enemy  until  completely  ex- 
hausted ;  many  died  of  bad  treatment.  The  Germans  be- 
lieved them  to  be  spies,  we  were  told. 

I  got  so  sad  and  afraid  with  the  bombardments,  that  I 
fell  ill  and  had  to  stay  in  bed  six  weeks ;  when  I  was  better 
I  had  to  take  a  refuge  with  my  brothers  and  sisters  in  our 
cellar,  for  shells  were  falling  everywhere.  Finally,  the 
danger  was  so  great  that  with  sorrow  we  had  to  leave  our 
village  and  go  a  little  farther  to  Dickebusch.  Near  our 
house  two  women  who  were  coming  back  from  their  w^ork 
were  killed  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell  and  four  other  per- 
sons of  our  village  lost  their  lives.  Most  of  the  houses  have 
been  burned  or  destroyed. 

After  a  little  time  spent  at  my  mother's  sister's  at 
Dickebusch  we  went  to  some  friends  of  ours  at  Westoutre, 
but  there  again  we  were  bombarded  and  were  obliged  to 
return  to  Dickebusch  where  it  was  less  dangerous.  There 
my  poor  father  died  of  a  grave  illness. 

I  asked  my  mother  to  let  me  go  to  the  children's  colony 
of  Bacqueville  and  I  had  been  there  a  short  time  when 
very  sad  news  came  to  me:  my  eldest  brother  who  had 
worked  for  the  English  got  hit  by  a  shell  as  he  was  getting 
the  money  he  had  earned ;  he  lost  both  legs  and  arms  and 
died  soon  afterward. 

Then  my  mother  asked  if  I  could  be  sent  to  a  profes- 
sional school,  and  here  I  am  at  St.  Illiers-les-Bois. 

My  mother  now  keeps  a  little  shop  at  Keninghelst. 

(Signed)     Andre  Braem, 
St.  Illiers-les-Bois,  Seine-et-Oise,  March  7,  1918. 


126  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

STORY  OF  THE  WAR  (At  the  Front) 
Translated  from  tlie  Flemisli  by  Madame  Carton  de  Wiart. 

I  am  A.  Scheldeman,  the  son  of  H.  Scheldeman,  born 
at  Dickebusch  from  workmen  people.  I  have  four  brothers 
and  five  sisters.  In  October,  1914,  thousands  of  Germans 
arrived  at  Dickebusch.  They  took  all  they  could:  horses, 
cows,  pigs,  hens,  etc. 

In  March,  1915,  I  was  walking  out  with  a  friend,  and 
on  our  way  we  were  playing  together  when  suddenly  a 
bomb  fell  and  exploded  near  us.  My  little  friend  was  at 
once  killed.    A  bit  of  iron  had  touched  him  on  the  chest. 

On  a  Sunday  of  the  same  month  my  mother  and  I  were 
walking  together  when  I  was  suddenly  touched  on  the 
knee  by  bits  of  shrapnel. 

Happily,  I  am  now  in  a  colony,  where  I  go  to  school 
and  learn  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic. 

HORRORS  OF  THE  WAR,  1914 

By  Martha  Beiees 

Translated  from  the  French  by  Madame  Carton  de  Wiart. 

The  war.  What  a  terrible  calamity.  How  people  suf- 
fered during  those  sad  times.  Germany  declared  war  to 
France,  to  Belgium  also  it  appears,  but  the  people  hope; 
everybody  says:  "Do  not  worry."  One  week  or  two 
and  it  is  done.  Some  days  after  the  sad  news  the  people 
is  moved,  everybody  is  in  the  windows.  .  .  . 

What  is  it  ?  It  is  the  Belgian  soldiers  starting  for  the 
front.  First  there  came  the  horses  with  their  gallant 
riders — then  the  other  soldiers  walking  behind  them. 
What  a  charming  sight.   I  remembered  it  long  afterward. 

One  day  we  heard  a  big  noise.  What  is  it  now  ?  There 
are  the  Belgians,  the  famous  defenders,  who  are  blowing 
up  a  bridge  on  the  Meuse.  The  Belgians  do  you  ask  ?  Yes 
the  Belgians,  but  with  a  good  intention,  believe  me.    It  is 


THE   CHILDREN'S   OWN   STORIES  127 

because  tlie  Germans  are  after  them  and  having  passed  to 
the  other  bank,  they  blew  up  the  bridge. 

However,  the  Germans  by  another  bridge  pass  on  to  the 
other  side  of  the  river — they  enter  the  town.  How  dread- 
ful they  look  in  comparison  with  our  dear  soldiers:  ugly 
grey  uniforms — hard  faces!  They  occupy  our  soldiers' 
barracks  and  the  Governor's  palace  and  he  can  go  where 
he  likes.  Some  time  later  they  began  to  shell  the  town. 
In  the  middle  of  the  night  we  were  obliged  to  take  shelter 
in  the  cellars  and  the  gardens. 

Then  they  forbid  selling  liquors  to  their  soldiers.  They 
went  to  visit  a  tobacco  factory  and  counted  how  much  the 
workers  were  doing  in  a  given  time  and  nearly  all  was  to 
be  done  for  them  and  they  bought  it  at  a  low  price.  In 
another  factory  they  took  away  all  the  machinery  and  sent 
away  the  workmen  but  some  days  later  took  them  back  on 
condition  that  they  would  work  for  the  Germans. 

'Now  the  price  of  bread  is  higher.  They  organize  a 
rationing  where  the  bread  is  less  dear — they  employ  the 
town  bakers  but  if  the  town  bakers  work  for  the  rationing 
they  cannot  do  it  for  the  clients.  Flour  is  scarce  and  we 
are  more  and  more  rationed  as  the  Germans  keep  the  flour 
for  themselves,  the  misers.  People  grow  hungry  and  it  is 
impossible  to  get  bread  as  the  bakers  have  no  flour,  and 
other  food  is  too  dear.  The  Germans  forbid  the  sale  of 
])otatoes.  What  are  we  to  eat  ?  After  having  well  thought, 
people  began  to  eat  rice.  We  put  it  in  the  soup.  We  eat 
it  with  milk  and  sugar. 

Big  shopkeepers  seeing  that  sugar  was  in  demand,  hid 
it  to  ask  a  high  price  for  it  and  people  were  again  reduced 
to  hunger.  The  shopkeepers  made  believe  that  they  had 
no  more  and  were  able  to  sell  their  goods  at  a  very  high 
price.  Later  on  the  Germans  required  everybody  aged 
more  than  15  years  to  have  a  card  of  identity  and  threat- 
ened with  the  most  awful  punishment  people  who  went  out 
v/ithout  that  card.  When  one  was  obliged  for  a  serious 
.-ase  to  go  to  a  neighboring  to^vn,  one  was  obliged  to  go  and 


128  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

ask  a  pass  at  the  German  Kommaudatur  when  he  had  to 
wait  for  hours. 

The  Germans  at  first  obliged  children  to  go  to  school, 
hut  now  forbid  it  as  there  is  no  coal  to  give,  but  they  rob 
the  children  of  their  leather  cases  when  they  come  from 
school  and  employ  them  to  mend  their  soldiers'  shoes. 
Now  there  is  something  more  the  Boches  want.  Do  you 
guess.'*  It  is  copper  to  make  their  bullets.  To  obtain  it, 
they  order  by  a  decree  to  bring  to  the  Kommandatur  all 
the  copper  there  is  in  the  houses,  but  it  does  not  please 
much  the  population  and  very  few  obey.  They  guess 
easily  that  there  is  more  in  the  town  than  what  is  brought 
to  them.  Oh  do  people  hope  to  deceive  them  ?  Well,  they 
send  soldiers  in  the  houses  to  search  and  they  take  what 
they  found.  But  learning  that,  the  people  went  to  work 
to  hide  it  in  the  garrets  and  in  the  cellars  and  buried  it  in 
the  gardens.  But  the  Germans  guess  and  search  the  houses 
more  seriously,  going  from  loft  to  cellars,  opening  chests  of 
drawers  and  everything  and  taking  away  even  the  food. 

I  finish  here,  having  nothing  more  to  tell  about  the 
Germans.  Those  who  will  read  this  wuU  have  a  very  faint 
idea  what  they  made  us  suffer. 


STORY  BY  LUCIEN  LEFEBVRE 
Translated  from  the  Flemish  by  Madame  Carton  de  Wiart. 

We  lived  peaceably  in  the  village  of  Ploegsteert  and 
were  dwelling  in  a  coffeehouse.  I  had  four  brothers,  two 
of  them  worked  in  a  factory.  Unhappily  my  father  died 
(iuickly,  when  all  at  once  the  village  bells  announced  the 
war. 

That  morning  the  village  looked  sad.  There  was  no- 
body in  the  streets.  One  morning  there  arrived  a  small 
troop  of  eight  Prussian  Uhlans  in  the  village  w^ho  took 
possession  and  established  themselves  at  every  street  cor- 
ner, but  the  French  were  at  Armentieres  very  near  our 


THE   CHILDREN'S  OWN   STORIES  129 

village  and  sonic  of  them  arrived,  hiding  themselves  be- 
hind the  houses,  and  then  full  of  courage  assailed  the  Ger- 
mans who  ran  away  on  every  side,  sending  some  shots  at 
random  and  hiding  in  the  ditches  or  behind  a  small  bridge 
over  a  ditch. 

In  that  little  skirmish  there  were  two  men  killed,  the 
French  and  the  German  officer.  The  French  made  a  pris- 
oner who  surrendered.  As  we  had  been  told  of  the  Ger- 
man atrocities  and  as  they  had  been  fighting  in  our  village 
we  thought  they  will  revenge  themselves  on  us. 

Our  mother  and  we  started  towards  Armentieres,  but 
as  we  could  find  nowhere  to  stay  we  came  back  the  same 
night  through  the  German  troops  who  had  taken  the  vil- 
lage. As  our  house  was  a  coffeehouse,  the  German  sol- 
diers came  to  drink  beer  and  liquor,  but  they  did  not  pay. 
It  lasted  three  days  and  three  nights. 

Then  came  our  Allies,  the  English  troops,  better  re- 
ceived than  the  former.  There  came  first  three  bicyclists 
and  then  the  others.  When  they  came  we  cheered  them 
and  gave  them  sweets  and  beer.  It  is  some  days  later  that 
the  famous  bombardment  began;  at  the  beginning  we  ran 
away,  but  as  it  was  going  on  we  took  refuge  in  our  cellar, 
which  w^as  not  very  strong  but  good  enough  to  preserve  us 
from  the  bursting  of  the  bombs.  We  stayed  under  that 
bombardment  without  any  ill  coming  to  us  during  nearly 
a  year.  But  on  a  Sunday  as  we  were  seated  to  dinner 
bombs  fell.  We  ran  to  the  cellar  with  other  people  who 
Avere  in  the  coffee  room  and  three  bombs  fell  at  one  or 
two  meters  from  our  house  and  killed  some  people,  but 
none  of  us.  We  ran  away  through  the  village  in  the  coun- 
try and  stretched  ourselves  on  the  ground.  We  heard  the 
whizzing  of  the  bombs  which  fell  near  us.  My  friend  had 
his  head  cut  and  other  people  were  seriously  wounded. 
My  little  brother  had  his  forehead  wounded  and  I  had  my 
ear  taken  away.  British  soldiers  took  me  to  the  hospital 
where  I  was  nursed.  When  I  was  well  again  I  went  back 
home  out  at  Pont  de  Nieppe. 


130  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

While  we  were  there  we  heard  that  children  were  taken 
to  the  colonies,  so  my  brother  and  I  joined  them. 

I^ow  some  months  ago  my  mother  came  to  Darnetal  with 
ray  brother.  My  two  eldest  brothers  are  soldiers,  one  is  a 
corporal.  The  one  who  is  with  my  mother  will  have  to  go 
soon  with  the  next  class  as  he  is  18  years  of  age.  My 
little  brother  and  I,  we  are  at  the  Colonie  de  St.  Jacques 
sous  Darnetal. 

l^AKRATIO^"  OF  THE  WAR  (At  the  Front) 

By  Maecel  Yictoe 

Translated  from  the  Flemish  by  Madame  Carton  de  Wiart. 

When  the  war  broke  out  our  happy  family  counted  five 
children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  We  are  still  all 
alive  in  spite  of  all  the  misfortunes  we  had. 

It  was  about  the  30th  of  November,  1914,  that  the  un- 
expected arrival  of  the  Germans  obliged  us  to  leave  our 
house.  The  shells  were  falling  without  interruption  and 
some  houses  were  already  set  on  flames.  We  came  back  in 
our  house  in  the  evening  as  the  danger  had  diminished. 
So  we  passed  still  a  few  days  during  which  we  saw  many 
calamities  around  us,  though  were  spared. 

On  the  7th  of  June  it  was  a  beautiful,  warm  day.  We 
went,  my  brother,  my  eldest  sister  and  myself,  to  Belle 
(hospital)  to  fetch  some  provisions. 

W^hen  we  came  back  we  could  see  from  far  that  our  house 
was  aimed  at  by  the  bombs  which  fell  without  ceasing.  To 
keep  from  danger  we  waited  afar  off  to  see  the  shells  fall- 
ing when  suddenly  we  saw  with  terror  that  a  bomb  had 
smashed  the  house.  Frightened,  not  knowing  what  to  do, 
we  made  up  our  minds  to  go  quickly,  at  the  thought  that 
our  parents  and  sisters  were  perhaps  still  there. 

We  found  nobody  in  the  house.  Looking  in  the  neigh- 
borhood we  discovered  them  at  last  in  a  public  house,  but 
good  heavens,  in  what  an  awful  state.  .  .  . 


THE   CHILDREN'S   OWN   STORIES  131 

My  mother,  stained  with  blood,  placed  in  an  ami  chair, 
was  grievously  wounded.  jMy  father,  slightly  wounded  at 
the  head,  held  inanimate  my  little  sister  in  his  arms.  The 
energetic  care  of  English  doctors  brought  them  all  to  life 
again,  but  it  was  not  all.  A  few  months  after,  my 
brother  was  severely  wounded  in  the  leg  and  he  got  better 
only  after  live  months'  hospital  care.  However,  the  poor 
bov  will  be  lamed  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Since  that  moment,  our  dear  parents  did  all  they  could 
to  spare  us  from  that  danger.  On  the  2Yth  of  May,  1916, 
my  two  eldest  sisters  and  I  were  accepted  in  a  Belgian 
colony  in  France.  We  are  there  since  twenty  months  and 
are  very  happy.  We  will  do  our  best  to  behave  well  so  as 
to  prove  our  gratefulness  to  those  who  have  procured  us 
such  a  good  life. 

THE  STORY  OF  MARGARET  VAN  CROMBEKE 

Translated  from  the  French  by  Mrs.  John 
van  Schaick,  Jr. 

I  am  a  little  Belgian  girl,  twelve  years  old,  and  I  live 
with  the  White  Sisters  in  the  chateau  of  Saussay  in 
France.  Before  the  war,  we  lived  on  a  little  farm  at 
Passchendaele  in  Belgium.  I  had  a  father,  mother,  one 
brother  and  five  sisters.  We  all  worked  hard,  but  very 
happy  together. 

Then  one  day  my  father  said  that  the  Germans  were 
coming  and  that  we  must  go  away.  We  took  some  bread 
and  started  on  the  road  to  Ypres.  My  father  could  not  go 
with  us  as  he  wanted  to  do  some  work.  He  said  he  would 
come  to  Ypres  the  next  day,  but  the  Germans  caught  him 
and  he  never  came. 

We  were  very  tired  that  night  and  we  did  not  have  any 
place  to  go.  Everybody  was  ruiming  around  in  Ypres  and 
many  people  were  going  away.  After  it  got  dark,  a  man 
told  my  mother  we  could  stay  in  his  barn.  There  was  a 
little  hay  and  we  slept  on  that.     The  next  day  we  went 


132  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

to  Reuiuglielst  where  my  aunt  lived.  She  was  very  kind 
to  us  and  we  lived  with  her  for  a  year.  My  mother  did 
washing  for  the  soldiers  and  my  sister  found  some  work 
inending  uniforms.  My  two  little  sisters,  my  brother 
Jan,  and  I  went  to  school  every  day  out  a  little  way  into 
the  country.  We  often  wrote  to  my  father  but  never  had 
any  letter  from  him  or  never  heard  anything  about  him. 
We  were  quite  happy  here  except  for  our  worry  about 
father  until  the  awful  accident  happened  to  my  little 
brother.  Mother  always  told  us  not  to  come  along  the 
road  if  the  Germans  were  shelling.  She  said  we  should 
go  off  in  the  fields  and  wait  there.  And  so  many  times 
we  were  late  coming  home.  I  was  afraid  of  the  shells  at 
first,  but  we  got  used  to  them.  They  did  not  come  very 
often  then.  But  one  day  I  stayed  at  school  and  Jan 
started  home  with  another  little  boy.  They  were  just 
passing  the  little  woods  near  the  village  when  a  big  shell 
came.  They  didn't  have  any  time  to  run.  It  struck  by 
the  side  of  the  road  near  by.  And  my  poor  little  brother 
was  hit  by  a  big  piece  in  the  neck  so  that  his  head  was 
almost  taken  off.  The  other  little  boy  was  hit  in  the  arm 
and  ran  home  crying.  Some  men  came  and  carried  my 
brother  home.  When  I  came  mother  was  sitting  by  him 
and  she  said,  "Margaret  you  must  go  away.  I  won't  lose 
you  too." 

Then  the  Mayor  of  Reninghelst  came  and  said  he  would 
write  to  the  Commissaire  d' Arrondissement.  The  next 
week  they  took  me  to  Adinkerke  and  put  me  on  a  train 
with  twenty  other  little  girls  and  brought  me  to  the 
Colonie  Scolaire  here  at  Saussay.  My  mother  came  away 
the  next  week  and  brought  my  two  little  sisters  with  her. 
She  is  working  at  Lieuvillers  and  writes  to  me  every  week. 
She  often  says  how  happy  we  will  be  when  we  can  all  go 
back  and  find  my  father  and  be  in  Belgium  once  more. 

(I^ote:  Through  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  we  made 
generous  appropriations  to  take  these  children  home  soon 
after  the  ai-mistice.) 


THE   CHILDREN'S   OWN   STORIES  133 

weitte:n  by  maeie  gilisseit,  a  girl  who 

LIVED  UNDER  THE  GERMA:NS 
Translated  from  the  French  by  Madame  Carton  de  Wiart 

Whilst  this  horrid  war  went  on  many  families  suffered 
from  hunger.  At  the  rationing  we  had  333  grams  of  black 
bread  each  and  some  soup.  Sometimes  we  were  given 
sugar,  honey  brickie,  and  seldom  rice,  cerealine  and  po- 
tatoes. 

In  the  morning  we  had  only  two  small  slices  of  dry 
bread  and  had  not  even  a  little  wet  grease  to  put  on  it. 
At  12  o'clock  we  had  rutabagas,  beetroot  or  turnips,  and 
at  tea  time  we  got  nothing  at  all  except  sometimes  a  little 
soup  given  by  the  commons.  In  the  evening  we  had  ruta- 
bagas again  and  very  often  we  went  to  bed  without  any 
supper. 

About  the  month  of  October,  1917,  we  were  obliged  to 
go  away  to  Switzerland.  A  week  before  starting  some- 
body came  to  take  our  measures  for  cloth.  On  the  Tues- 
day, October  9,  we  went  to  fetch  a  loaf  of  bread  as  we 
were  told  to  take  food  for  three  days  with  us. 

We  were  told  to  be  at  2  o'clock  at  the  Convent  of  the 
rue  Cockerill.  There  they  gave  us  two  eggs  and  some 
sugar  from  the  committee.  When  we  had  put  on  our 
armlets  we  left  Seraing  and  went  to  the  bridge  to  take 
the  tramcar  to  go  to  the  station  to  embark.  Our  parents 
came  with  us  to  the  Guillemins.  We  entered  the  train  at 
4:30  and  only  went  on  from  Liege  at  midnight.  At  Co- 
logne they  gave  us  soup  with  rutabagas,  beetroot  and 
stewed  apples  with  honey — quite  a  German  mess.  The 
same  night  at  midnight  we  stopped  to  eat  again.  It  was 
better  than  at  Cologne;  we  had  soup  that  was  not  very 
good  and  a  small  piece  of  bread  all  black,  but  we  had  to 
eat  it  as  we  had  not  much  food.  At  the  frontier  they 
searched  us,  thinking  we  had  some  addresses  with  us,  but 
we  had  been  cleverer  than  they  thought  and  had  learned 


134  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

them  by  heart.  There  they  gave  us  some  slices  of  black 
bread  with  a  bowl  of  coffee  with  milk.  After  two  more 
hours  we  stopped  dowai  again,  but  we  were  well  satisfied  as 
it  was  to  take  the  Swiss  traiu.  In  that  train  we  got  two 
rolls  of  bread  with  ham  and  chocolate.  On  Friday,  Octo- 
ber 12,  we  arrived  at  Fribourg  in  Switzerland  after  seeing 
the  Rhine  falls  and  going  through  the  St.  Gothard. 

We  went  to  the  Belgian  soldiers'  barracks  and  were 
received  there  as  little  princesses. 

After  two  days  at  Fribourg  we  left  after  going  to  church 
and  went  to  the  station  to  take  the  train  to  Evian-les-bains, 
Avhere  we  were  well  welcomed.  After  Evian  we  went  to 
Paris;  we  had  a  good  dinner:  soup,  potatoes,  beefsteak 
and  salad  and  grapes  for  dessert,  and  we  went  to  the 
cinema.  After  Paris  we  went  to  Rouen ;  we  arrived  very 
late  and  had  for  our  supper  soup,  bread,  potatoes  and  egg, 
iam  and  cakes  and  we  went  to  bed  after. 

The  next  day  we  started  to  Yvetot  where  we  vcre  well 
received  too.  On  the  Thursday,  October  18,  we  came  in 
a  motor  car  to  Valmont  where  we  are  still.  The  ladies 
and  sisters  are  very  good  to  us ;  we  go  to  school  as  we  did 
at  home,  but  we  are  separated  from  our  dear  parents. 

Long  live  the  good  ladies  of  the  colony  of  Valmont. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
The  Works  of  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen 

TO  her  work  in  the  Belgian  Red  Cross  Society  with 
Dr.  Depage,  and  in  the  field  of  preventive  medicine 
with  Dr.  jSTolf ;  to  her  constant  visiting  of  all  the  front 
hospitals,*  and  her  dressing  of  wounds  with  her  own  skill- 
ful hands;  to  her  patronage  of  all  works  of  amusement 
and  education  for  the  soldiers  and  her  frequent  trips  to 
the  trenches;  to  all  the  miscellaneous  tasks  piled  upon  a 
Queen  even  in  war  time,  Her  Majesty  added  constant,  in- 
telligent and  sympathetic  work  for  children. 

She  was  always  going  to  and  fro,  in  her  little  corner  of 
Flanders ;  she  was  always  hearing  everything  that  went  on, 
she  knew  as  well  as  anybody  what  was  the  next  impor- 
tant thing  to  do  in  relief. 

As  she  would  not  be  driven  out  of  Flanders  herself,  she 
sympathized  deeply  with  the  other  people  who  did  not 
want  to  go  away  into  some  other  country.  So  did  the 
King.  Both  admitted  all  that  the  military  strategists  had 
to  say  about  it,  but  both  contended  that  there  was  a  moral 
value  to  the  cause  of  the  Allies  in  having  even  a  corner  of 
Belgium  unconquered.  So  some  kind  of  civil  administra- 
tion was  kept  up  all  through  the  war,  and  the  King  and 
Queen  w^ent  to  their  burgomasters  as  they  did  to  their  Gen- 
erals with  their  encouragement  and  their  thanks. 

This  did  not  prevent  the  Queen  from  starting  early  to 
send  children  into  France.    Whether  her  own  agents  picked 

*  In  1917,  we  established  "the  Queens  Purse,"  a  fund  of  ten 
thousand  francs  a  month  for  fruit,  flour,  jellies,  and  extra  com- 
forts  distributed   personally   by   Her   Majesty  to   wounded  men. 

135 


136  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

them  up  or  Miss  FyfFe,  the  Scotch  lady,  or  Steyaert,  or 
Biebuyck,  the  Commiss aires,  the  little  Queen  was  at  the 
station  at  Adinkerke  to  see  to  their  comfort  and  to  wave 
good-byes  when  they  went  off. 

But  early  she  faced  what  we  faced  later — the  fact  that 
the  parents  of  many  of  the  children  would  not  let  them  go. 
She  looked  about  to  see  if  there  were  any  place  in  Flan- 
ders where  she  herself  could  establish  a  colony,  and  make 
it  a  model  of  its  kind.  Queen  though  she  was,  she  en- 
countered the  strongest  kind  of  opposition,  even  from 
some  of  the  officers  of  the  King's  household.  They  knew 
the  range  of  artillery  and  the  uncertainties  of  war,  and 
they  did  not  want  the  Queen  put  into  a  position  where 
a  shell  on  a  barrack  could  cause  a  slaughter  of  children 
for  which  she  would  be  held  responsible.  Her  Majesty, 
for  all  her  soft  voice  and  gentle  ways,  has  very  positive 
views  and  a  way  of  holding  on  to  them.  And  as  for  shirk- 
ing a  duty  because  the  thing  might  go  badly  and  react 
on  her,  this  is  a  thing  unlikely  to  ever  happen  in  her  life. 
She  is  too  true  a  woman.  She  held  fast  to  the  necessity 
of  the  action  she  proposed,  and  she  raised  the  money. 
When  it  came  to  the  almost  awful  question  of  just  where 
to  put  it,  of  deciding  where  shells  would  not  fall,  she  got 
the  best  advice  she  could  and  then  acted.  The  site  was  in 
the  open  country,  close  to  the  frontier,  and  near  Vinckem 
where  Dr.  Depage  later  built  his  big  hospital.  One  of  the 
barracks  was  contributed  by  citizens  of  Paterson,  !N^.  J.,  a 
thing  the  Queen  always  pointed  out  with  pride. 

In  two  little  villages  of  wooden  barracks,  the  Queen 
provided  for  600  children — one  group  of  children  from  6 
to  10,  and  the  other  from  11  to  16. 

The  barracks  were  well  placed,  on  soil  well  drained,  flat 
though  it  was,  and  around  them  bloomed  the  most  beautiful 
flowers  from  early  spring  until  late  autumn.  Between  the 
two  groups  of  barracks  was  a  large  vegetable  garden  which 
the  older  boys  helped  to  work. 

The  barracks  were  light,  well  but  simply  furnished,  and 


THE  WORKS  OF  HER  MAJESTY,  THE  QUEEN  137 

everything  about  them  showed  that  somebody  of  taste  aud 
culture  was  at  the  head. 

The  Queen  was  fortunate  in  having  the  pick  of  availa- 
ble personnel  and  this  made  other  authorities  growl  occa- 
sionally, but  the  growls  were  low  and  not  very  deep.  Cer- 
tain it  is  that  whether  we  ascribe  it  to  her  brains  or  luck, 
Her  Majesty  made  there  a  real  school.  A  beautiful  little 
chapel  stood  among  the  other  buildings.  The  instruction 
was  modern.  The  children  really  learned  something. 
And  the  whole  atmosphere  of  the  place  unquestionably 
lifted  most  of  them  up  to  a  plane  they  never  would  have 
reached  had  there  been  no  war  and  no  school  of  the  Queen. 
Twice  during  the  war,  we  tried  to  get  over  from  America 
the  most  modern  books  on  education  for  a  present  to  the 
Queen  out  of  other  than  relief  funds,  as  we  knew  her 
gi-eat  desire  to  have  them,  but  the  shipments  had  not  come 
through  when  the  war  ended. 

There  is  no  question  so  bitterly  fought  over  in  Belgium 
as  the  education  of  the  children.  Both  King  and  Queen 
have  to  keep  themselves  above  party  strife  and  to  be  the 
representatives  of  all  the  people,  but  few  projects  for  the 
future  interest  them  more  than  the  raising  of  standards 
of  Belgium  schools  of  all  kinds. 

The  Queen's  schools  at  Vinckem  were  an  object  lesson. 
Towards  them  we  contributed  101,000  francs. 

Her  Majesty  had  kept  in  touch  with  conditions  in  Occu- 
pied Belgium  as  much  as  was  possible.  She  could  look 
over  from  where  she  lived  or  from  the  tower  at  Furnes,  or 
from  observation  points  on  the  line,  and  see  beyond  the 
German  trenches  the  towers  at  Bruges  or  Ostend.  And 
word  came  out  this  way  or  that.  When  we  first  met  her 
in  1917,  she  had  become  convinced  that  she  ought  to  try 
to  get  out  the  most  undernourished  children  and  feed 
them  up  in  France  or  Switzerland.  The  Hoover  Commis- 
sion was  keeping  people  going  and  the  baby  work  in  Brus- 
sels was  so  good  that  infant  mortality  rates  were  being 
lowered  below  pre-war  rates;  reports  from  Liege  and  other 


138  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

industrial  districts  were  not  so  good.  But  it  was  more 
than  a  question  of  food.  She  considered  it  demorahzing 
t(i  have  the  children  so  long  under  the  hard  conditions  of 
German  occupation.  Once  more  she  had  in  mind  the 
future  citizens  of  Belgium. 

So  under  her  patronage  and  in  cooperation  with  her, 
we  established  early  in  1918  a  colony  for  children  at  Le 
Glandier,  in  Correze,  France. 

Her  Majesty  chose  Captain  Charles  Graux  to  be  her  di- 
rector and  here  the  one  man  indispensable  to  a  project 
was  found.  Captain  Graux  was  the  son  of  a  former  Prime 
Minister  of  Belgium,  an  engineer,  a  manufacturer,  and  a 
cultured  gentleman.  From  his  English  mother  he  had 
got  full  command  of  the  English  language. 

Arrangements  with  the  Germans  had  to  be  made  for  the 
children  to  come  out  through  Switzerland,  arrangements 
with  the  Swiss  for  their  passage,  arrangements  with  the 
French  for  their  entry;  the  buildings  of  the  old  monas- 
tery had  to  be  made  ready,  furniture  secured,  a  staff  as- 
sembled, commissary  arrangements  made.  Then  schools 
had  to  be  organized  w^hich  would  measure  up  to  the  high 
ideals  of  the  Queen.  Captain  Graux  overcame  all  diffi- 
culties and  got  the  results  expected. 

Some  650  children  were  brought  out. 

Medical  examination  showed  that  while  the  children 
looked  to  be  in  fairly  good  condition,  their  resistance  was 
below  normal.  The  older  ones  had  grown  tall  and  lanky 
and  could  not  stand  much  fatigue.  The  short  ration,  the 
scarcity  of  milk,  and  the  fatless  food  had  been  even  harder 
on  the  younger  children.  Plans  were  under  way  to  bring 
out  other  convoys  but  the  tide  of  battle  set  so  strongly 
against  the  Germans  that  the  end  seemed  to  be  in  sight 
and  new  projects  were  given  up. 

To  meet  a  difficulty  in  furnishing  shoes,  Captain  Graux 
established  a  work  shop  at  Limoges  where  80  pairs  of 
b^hoes  were  produced  per  week.  The  surplus  was  sent  to 
other  children's  colonies. 


THE  WORKS  OF  HER  MAJESTY,  THE  QUEEN  139 

The  total  cost  of  Le  Glandier  was  1,745,625  francs. 

By  the  time  this  colony  was  organized,  Belgian  person- 
nel was  very  scarce.  Dr.  ISTeelemans,  medical  director, 
was  Belgian  as  were  most  of  the  teachers.  We  sent  down 
a  squad  of  Quakers,  English  and  American,  among  whom 
were  Henry  Streeter,  Zavitz,  and  Frank  Morton,  to  help 
organize  Boy  Scout  activities,  a  throat  specialist.  Dr. 
Wiggin,  a  medical  assistant,  Dr.  Arnett,  a  dentist,  Dr. 
La  Bonte,  and  two  American  nurses,  Martha  Hower  and 
Sarah  Boyle,  all  of  whom  did  good  work.  The  two  daugh- 
ters of  the  Commissioner,  Miss  Constance  and  Miss  Al- 
herte  Bicknell  also  did  effective  work  at  Le  Glandier  at  a 
time  when  they  were  most  needed. 

Under  the  joint  patronage  of  Her  Majesty  and  of  the 
Minister  of  the  Interior,  Mrs.  Haden  Guest,  an  English 
lady,  held  baby  consultations  or  clinics  in  Flanders  and 
for  them  we  shipped  condensed  milk  and  clothing  to  the 
value  of  nearlv  fortv  thousand  francs. 

At  the  joint  request  of  Her  Majesty  and  the  Minister, 
we  sent  up  Dr.  Park  and  Dr.  Alma  Rothholtz  to  go  over 
the  field  and  extend  the  usefullness  of  these  consulations. 
Both  did  valuable  work.  Dr.  Rothholtz  stayed  some  weeks 
in  the  summer  of  1918,  but  the  great  Belgian  attack  early 
in  the  fall  changed  the  situation,  and  she  turned  at  once 
to  helping  with  the  w^ounded,  and  it  seemed  best  not  to 
attempt  further  medical  work  for  babies  in  Flanders. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

For  Those  Who  Held  the  Line 

THE  main  work  of  the  Red  Cross  in  the  "World  War 
was  to  help  the  nations  care  for  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers.  By  1917,  however,  it  was  evident  that  the  war 
was  a  contest  not  merely  of  armies  against  armies  but  of 
entire  populations  against  entire  populations.  Construc- 
tively everybody  was  a  combatant  and  actually  thousands 
of  civilians  w^ere  killed  or  wounded.  There  was  no  ques- 
tion as  to  the  necessity  or  legality  of  civilian  welfare  work. 
The  misery  of  the  fighting  men  who  were  not  w^ounded 
was  also  evident.  What  they  endured  w^as  almost  more 
than  flesh  and  blood  could  stand.  The  mud  and  cold,  the 
stench  and  slime  of  many  sectors  of  the  front,  made  life 
there  unspeakable,  even  in  quiet  times ;  the  bombardments 
only  added  to  the  danger  and  misery ;  to  all  else  was  added 
the  loneliness  of  long  separations  from  home.  What  the 
war  correspondents  described  so  often  as  the  set  lips,  the 
liigh  stern  look,  the  grim  determination  of  men  marching 
to  the  front  was  true  but  it  was  not  the  whole  truth.  In 
billets  there  was  quite  another  story.  What  the  soldiers' 
letters  published  of  the  mirth  and  the  jollity  of  the  men 
was  also  true — but  there  was  another  side  to  this  also. 
The  worst  things  were  never  written  down.  Even  a  wel- 
fare worker  never  writes  them  down.  The  long  continued 
strain,  the  snapping  of  tense  nerves,  the  shell  shock,  the 
men  w^ho  went  crazy,  the  desertions,  the  executions, — all 
these  make  a  chapter  also.  And  a  great  body  of  war  phe- 
nomena is  now  classified  as  medical  which  before  the 
Great  W^ar  was  never  so  classified.  Whether  a  man  in  the 
trenches,  clothes  soaked  or  caked  with  mud,  exhausted  in 

140 


FOR  THOSE  WHO  HELD  THE  LINE  141 

a  mud  hole,  witli  brain  reeling  and  nerves  quivering  from 
sights  and  sounds  which  the  human  being  was  never  in- 
tended to  experience,  technically  is  or  is  not  a  medical 
problem,  no  Red  Cross  man  worth  his  salt  would  hesitate 
about  dealing  with  such  a  case. 

Whatever  our  individual  theories,  our  orders  were  spe- 
cific: "Go  to  Europe  at  once.  It  will  be  a  year  before 
we  can  get  fighting  men  over  in  any  force.  Express  Amer- 
ican sympathy  and  cheer.  Help  lift  the  burden  of  war 
misery,  civil  and  military,  in  all  the  allied  countries.  By 
your  sympathy  and  aid,  keep  up  the  morale  and  prevent  a 
German  victory  before  our  fighting  forces  come." 

So  far  as  the  American  forces  went,  the  American  Red 
Cross  divided  the  field  of  soldier  welfare  work  with  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Jewish  Welfare  Board, 
and  similar  organizations.  In  work  for  Belgium  we  made 
no  such  division  until  after  the  armistice,  and  we  had  got 
back  to  Brussels. 

Within  the  first  three  weeks  of  our  arrival  at  Le  Havre, 
Emile  Vandervelde  sought  an  interview  w^ith  us  and  asked 
if  in  principle  we  were  free  to  do  something  to  improve 
the  condition  of  the  Belgian  fighting  troops — adding  that 
he  would  like  to  go  into  details  of  needs  if  we  were 
free  to  act  at  all. 

M.  Vandervelde  was  the  leader  of  the  Socialist  party  in 
Belgium,  active  in  the  International  Socialist  organization, 
but  he  was  engaged  as  Minister  of  Intendance  in  furnish- 
ing supplies  to  the  Belgian  Army.  After  the  war  he  be- 
came Minister  of  Justice.  No  man  rendered  more  loyal 
service  during  the  war.  Few;  men  in  Belgium  are  his 
equal  in  sheer  mental  ability.  Our  own  Red  Cross  men 
testified  that  he  seemed  absolutely  devoid  of  fear  and 
would  lead  them  into  advanced  posts  without  any  appar- 
ent thought  of  danger.  His  enemies  said  that  he  was  too 
deaf  to  hear  the  noise  going  on  about  him. 

We  informed  M.  Vandervelde  that  we  would  study  the 


142  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

needs  of  fighting  men  precisely  as  we  would  those  of  refu- 
gees, of  children  or  the  wounded. 

He  then  asked  us  to  put  up  a  building  in  connection 
with  the  new  Ocean  Hospital  at  Wulveringhem-Vinckem 
to  use  as  a  canteen,  a  center  of  recreation  and  as  a  li- 
brary, for  convelascent  soldiers  of  the  hospital  and  for 
the  use  of  the  thousands  of  other  Belgian  soldiers  camped 
near  that  point. 

Investigation  showed  the  need  of  this  canteen  and  our 
first  appropriation  for  military  relief,  40,000  francs,  went 
to  this  project,  which  was  called  the  Home  du  Soldat.  It 
stood  out  from  all  other  projects  of  the  kind  because  of  the 
beautiful  mural  decorations  painted  by  AUard  I'Olivier,  a 
famous  Belgian  artist,  who  was  a  common  soldier  in  the 
trenches  and  who  did  this  labor  of  love  when  en  repos. 

M.  Vandervelde,  in  our  first  interview,  outlined  the 
miserable  condition  of  13,000  soldiers  working  at  Le 
Havi'e  making  munitions  and  doing  automobile  repair 
vv'ork.  Their  pay  had  been  fixed  in  the  theory  that  they 
were  alone,  but  in  fact  many  had  been  joined  by  their 
refugee  families.  ''Frequently,  through  illness,  the  condi- 
tion of  these  families  is  desperate,"  said  he.  "If  you  will 
furnish  a  sum  of  money  for  actual  relief,  I  will  furnish 
the  personnel  to  do  the  work  and  the  oversight.  Admit  the 
principle  and  I  will  do  the  details." 

Again  we  admitted  the  principle,  stating  that  relief  of 
this  kind  was  exactly  what  we  were  there  for  and  that  all 
we  wanted  to  know  was  first  that  it  was  a  real  need,  sec- 
ond that  there  was  nobody  else  who  could  supply  it,  and 
third,  that  it  would  not  overlap  the  work  of  other  organi- 
zations. 

Of  the  work  of  Famille  du  Soldat  Beige  which  grew  out 
of  this  interview,  we  have  spoken  in  the  chapter  on  "Refu- 
gees" ;  of  the  creche  for  munition  workers,  in  the  chapter 
on  children. 

For  the  soldiers  themselves  at  Le  Havre,  at  Rouen,  at 
Calais,  and  at  other  places  in  the  rear  and  on  lines  of 


A  Belgian  Munition  Worker  at  Le  Havre. 


FOR  THOSE  WHO  HELD  THE  LINE  143 

commimicatioLi,  we  helped  equip  canteens,  and  reading 
rooms.  Soldiers  who  previously  had  eaten  meals  while 
seated  on  the  edge  of  a  bunk  now  sat  at  a  clean  table. 
Those  who  had  slept  on  a  tick  filled  with  straw  on  the 
floor,  now  had  plain  spring  mattresses  for  beds. 

In  addition,  shower  baths  were  installed  in  some  cen- 
ters, a  cooperative  restaurant  for  those  boarding  them- 
eelves,  and  recreation  halls  with  books  and  games. 

All  of  our  projects  had  to  go  before  the  Finance  Com- 
mittee in  Paris  and  to  the  War  Council  in  Washington. 
This  does  not  mean  that  freedom  of  action  w^as  limited  in 
particular  projects.  It  meant  that  if  we  needed  ten  mil- 
lion francs  for  a  six  months'  period,  we  had  to  say  why 
we  needed  it. 

What  one  of  us  wrote  from  the  front  in  the  winter  of 
1917-1918  tells  clearly  why  we  asked  for  money  to  help 
the  men  at  the  front  and  just  as  clearly  why  Paris  and 
Washington  granted  it  as  fast  as  the  cables  could  operate. 
"The  shelters  are,  roughly,  dugouts  and  abris  on  the 
first  line;  abris  and  half  ruined  buildings  on  the  second 
line;  farm  buildings,  old  wooden  barracks  and  new  brick 
barracks  in  the  rear,  that  is,  seven  or  eight  miles  back 
from  the  trenches  where  the  soldiers  go  for  fifteen  to  thirty 
days  after  spending  four  days  in  the  trenches,  four  days 
on  piquet  and  eight  days  on  semi-repos. 

"Life  in  the  abris  and  dugouts  was  the  usual  thing. 
They  were  low,  crowded  and  dark,  but  warm.  There  was 
one  continuous  line  of  graves  along  the  board  walk  of  the 
Pervyse  sector  where  the  trenches  consist  of  an  embank- 
ment— back  of  the  old  ISTieuport-Dixmude  railroad.  The 
soldiers  in  their  dugouts  lay  within  three  or  four  feet 
of  their  comrades  in  their  graves. 

"I  visited  the  terrain  recovered  recently  by  the  French, 
now  held  by  the  Belgians,  adjoining  the  Ypres  salient, 
around  Merckem  and  Bixschoote  and  running  up  to  the 
edge  of  the  forest  of  Houthulst.  Here  trench  lines  are  ob- 
literated.    The  entire  front  is  a  E"o-Man's-Land  of  shell 


144  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

holes,  presenting  an  almost  continuous  series  of  craters  and 
furrows.  It  is  either  a  sea  of  mud  or  frozen  wilderness. 
Last  Wednesday  the  snow  of  the  night  was  over  every- 
thing but  it  lost  some  of  its  beauty  when  a  Major  of  Engi- 
neers complained  bitterly  that  there  had  been  such  delay 
in  getting  w^hite  clothing  for  his  men  that  he  lost  an  un- 
necessarily large  number  every  day.  Before  we  left  the 
sector  two  more  of  his  men,  who  had  talked  with  us, 
were  killed  while  cutting  ice  to  let  water  drain  away.  The 
defenses  are  not  infantry  lines  at  all.  They  are  advance 
posts,  machine  gun  emplacements  and  batteries. 

"Life  on  the  Merckem  and  Bixschoote  sectors  is  life  in 
abris  above  ground;  most  of  them  German  pill  boxes. 
These  sectors  are  especially  bad,  because  of  gas  shelling. 
Shrapnel  fire  is  almost  continuous.  And  yet  I  heard  men 
say:     'I'd  rather  be  here  than  back  in  the  barns.' 

"The  life  of  the  soldier  on  the  farms  and  in  half-de- 
stroyed villages  is  the  problem  of  the  long,  dark  winter 
nights  w^ithout  light  or  fire. 

"I  found  near  Gyverinchove  240  men  sleeping  in  two 
barns.  Fires  in  other  places  had  compelled  a  strict  order 
against  any  stoves  in  these  sleeping  quarters.  Petrol  had 
given  out  and  there  were  no  lamps.  Candles  were  impos- 
sible. The  village  was  a  mile  or  two  away  and  the  inter- 
vening roads  were  almost  knee  deep  in  mud.  The  barn 
buildings  were  old,  with  wide  cracks  in  the  siding  through 
which  the  wind  whistled.  After  four  o'clock  what  was 
there  for  the  soldier  to  do  ?  When  he  did  not  wade  to  the 
village  for  a  little  fire  and  light  in  the  eslaminet,  he 
crawled  into  his  blankets  on  the  soggy  straw  or  hard  boards 
to  keep  warm.  And  sometimes  on  the  bitter  nights,  the 
men  in  these  tw^o  barns  had  not  slept  at  all,  but  were 
running  up  and  down  all  night  to  keep  warm.  As  I  heard 
a  soldier  sing  as  he  went  along  with  a  bucket  of  water,  an 
officer  said:  'That  is  the  spirit  of  the  men  almost  all  tlie 
time.     They  keep  their  spirits  up.' 

"At  Reninghe,  less  than  four  miles  from  the  German 


FOR  THOSE  WHO  HELD  THE  LINE  145 

guns,  I  found  a  company  of  engineers  billeted  in  farm 
buildings  and  abris.  We  had  a  dinner  in  a  shed,  and  I 
spent  some  time  in  a  pig  pen  where  four  men  slept,  the 
only  part  of  a  barn  that  was  intact.  These  men  had  a  fire. 
I  was  told  repeatedly  of  places  where  there  would  be  one 
stove  for  four  barracks  and  where  men  would  be  moved 
from  one  barrack  to  the  other  to  give  all  a  chance  at  the  fire. 

"All  this  would  present  a  strong  indictment  against  the 
Belgian  Govermnent  and  the  Allies  if  there  were  not  the 
other  side.  Fully  half  the  army  is  now  in  the  new  brick 
barracks  the  government  has  been  struggling  for,  against 
obstacles  presented  by  scarcity  of  building  materials  and 
lack  of  money.  These  barracks  are  in  groups  of  four,  each 
accommodating  fifty  men,  and  each  with  a  fifth  barrack 
used  for  a  dining  hall,  place  of  recreation,  kitchen  and 
canteen,  but  there  are  thousands  of  soldiers  for  whom  no 
such  quarters  have  been  provided." 

Those  who  fought  in  Flanders  speak  as  much  of  the 
hardships  of  the  long  winter  nights,  of  the  mud,  the 
drenching  rain,  the  piercing  cold,  as  they  do  of  terrible 
bombardments. 

An  Antwerp  boy  who  served  some  of  us  in  Holland  in 
1915  as  a  stenographer  and  who  now  was  attached  to  a 
battery  said,  "We  can  stand  the  German  shells.  What  we 
mind  is  the  cold  and  nowhere  to  go." 

The  country  was  so  low  that  along  much  of  the  Belgian 
front,  trenches  were  above  gi-ound.  Not  only  did  enemy 
shells  hit  them,  but  the  waters  which  kept  back  the  enemy 
undermined  them  and  they  fell  down.  Said  one  of  the 
private  Belgian  soldiers :  "The  labor  of  the  night  was  in- 
describable where  under  bullets  and  shells  the  men  made 
their  defensive  works,  always  nibbled  at  by  the  water  and 
opened  up  by  the  shells — always  falling  down — always 
having  to  be  rebuilt." 

Several  times  that  winter  of  1917-1918,  as  well  as  the 
hard  winter  before,  sentinels  were  found  at  their  post  dead 
of  exposure  and  fatigue. 


146  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Adhering  again  to  our  determination  to  work  through 
existing  agencies,  we  did  practically  all  our  soldier  welfare 
work  through  "Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers"  and  its  allied 
organizations,  all  under  general  supervision  of  the  Minis- 
ter Vandervelde ;  the  Appui  Beige  of  Paris  under  the  di- 
rection of  Mademoiselle  Glaenzer,  a  talented  French  girl, 
a  granddaughter  of  the  late  Frederic  R.  Coudert  of  'New 
York;  "Centres  of  Recreation"  under  Madame  Paul  Hy- 
raans,  wife  of  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  one  of  the 
best  of  our  Belgian  workers;  the  Foyer  du  Soldat  Beige 
and  related  authorities,  under  the  Minister  Brunet, 
who,  since  the  war,  has  been  made  President  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Deputies;  and  a  number  of  smaller  organizations. 

Few  Belgian  soldiers  had  a  chance  to  go  home  on  leave 
and  their  pay  was  so  small  that  they  could  not  afford  to  go 
into  France.  We  found  men  who  had  had  no  leave  in  over 
three  years  of  war. 

To  meet  this  need,  the  Minister  Monsieur  Brunet  cre- 
ated an  organization  called  the  Foyer  du  Soldat  Beige 
which  had  six  homes  and  a  restaurant  in  Paris  where 
Belgian  soldiers  could  stay  for  a  nominal  fee.  General  De 
Ceuninck  strongly  endorsed  this  work  and  asked  us  to 
extend  it.  In  December,  1917,  the  Red  Cross  made  a 
gTant  of  99,000  francs  to  help  open  two  new  homes 
and  maintain  them  for  a  year,  and  later  the  Red  Cross 
helped  open  additional  homes  at  Mareil  and  Pontoise. 
Through  M.  Blero  and  the  Baron  de  Broqueville  we  helped 
open  a  similar  home  at  Petite  Couronne  near  Elbeuf. 
In  a  single  year  over  100,000  men  were  received  for  a 
period  of  9  days  each. 

Conge  du  Soldat  Beige,  a  similar  work  in  Paris,  was  in- 
teresting from  the  fact  that  no  wealthy  or  powerful  people 
contributed  to  its  support.  It  was  maintained  by  trades 
unions  of  Italy,  France  and  Belgium,  and  took  care  of  the 
soldiers  in  public  restaurants  and  lodging  houses  on  the 
theory  that  the  men  got  enough  of  military  life  at  the 
front,  and  that  the  vacation  should  be  made  as  non-military 


FOR  THOSE  WHO  HELD  THE  LINE  147 

as  possible.  But  the  men  were  met  by  comrades  who  acted 
as  guides  and  friends  throughout  their  stay.  The  Red 
Cross  helped  this  society  increase  its  soldier  guests  from 
forty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  per  month. 

Miss  Glaenzer  in  Paris  secured  from  us  in  the  fall  of 
1917  a  grant  of  10,000  francs  a  month  for  the  Appui 
Beige  which  sent  packages  of  food  and  clothing  to  prison- 
ers and  opened  and  furnished  canteens  and  recreation 
rooms  for  soldiers.  This  society  worked  in  close  coopera- 
tion with  "Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers"  and  systematically 
divided  the  field. 

The  British  were  the  first  to  come  to  the  help  of  the 
Belgian  soldiers,  and  under  M.  Vandervelde,  a  society  was 
organized  in  London  called  "British  Gifts  for  Belgian 
Soldiers/'  which  did  valuable  work  sending  small  pack- 
ages of  clothing,  tobacco,  chocolate  and  other  little  gifts 
to  thousands  of  individual  Belgian  soldiers. 

When  M.  Vandervelde  went  to  Le  Havre  as  Minister  of 
Supplies,  he  organized  a  branch  of  this  society  called 
"Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers"  to  establish  canteens,  libra- 
ries, reading  rooms,  and  to  organize  sports,  concerts  and 
cinemas  and  theatrical  performances  for  the  soldiers. 

It  could  no  longer  be  financed  in  Europe  as  everybody 
was  exhausted.  We  gave  an  initial  credit  to  M.  Vander- 
velde of  1,000,000  francs  to  finance  his  work  on  a  much 
larger  scale,  followed  it  up  with  a  second  million  when  we 
saw  the  results  and  spent  in  all  through  his  various 
works,  2,231,000  francs. 

Unable  to  get  wood  to  build  canteen  barracks,  he  se- 
cured tents  in  England.  A  double  tent,  well  lighted,  with 
a  wooden  floor,  and  a  good  hot  stove,  is  a  warm  cheerful 
place  even  on  a  winter  night.  Some  small  canteen  tents 
were  placed  behind  sand  dunes  or  ruined  buildings  up  close 
to  the  front  trenches.  Large  ones  were  installed  eight  or 
ten  miles  back.  In  these  tents  the  soldier  could  get  hot 
chocolate,  cigars,  cigarettes,  razors,  pocket  knives  and  sim- 
ilar small  articles,  candy,  and  sometimes  beer.     The  larger 


148  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

ones  had  adequate  space  for  games  and  even  in  the  smaller 
ones  just  behind  the  front  line,  there  were  cards,  check- 
ers, etc. 

In  La  Pamie  alone  more  than  20,000  soldiers  visited 
the  canteen  on  the  Place  du  Marche.  Another  canteen 
in  this  same  Yser  front  served  every  day  between  4  and 
7 :  30  P.  M.  an  average  of  1,520  cups  of  chocolate  and  from 
900  to  1,000  pancakes.  In  addition,  biscuits,  cakes,  cof- 
fee, tea  and  lemonade  were  sold.  Among  the  Belgians 
the  real  test  of  the  effectiveness  of  a  canteen  was  not 
whether  it  had  beer,  although  beer  was  enjoyed,  but 
whether  it  had  hot  chocolate,  sweets  and  hot  pancakes. 
"Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers"  quickly  pushed  forward  when 
the  Belgian  Army  advanced,  and  under  Corporal  Stoefs 
did  a  remarkable  work  in  the  frightful  country  around 
Houthulst  Forest  in  the  days  when  the  army  was  waiting 
for  its  transport  to  catch  up  over  the  destroyed  roads. 
Then  when  the  soldiers  reached  the  Rhine  country,  and 
the  joy  of  victory  subsided  and  they  were  face  to  face 
with  the  fact  that  the  war  was  over,  and  everybody  else 
was  going  home  but  themselves,  the  hot  chocolate  and  hot 
pancakes  were  there  to  quiet  the  grumbling. 

N^o  single  feature  of  soldier  welfare  work  brought  more 
satisfactory  results  than  the  use  of  books.  As  Henry  van 
Dyke  told  our  own  "Library  Service"  in  the  war :  "Vic- 
tory does  not  depend  solely  upon  big  battalions,  but  upon 
large  and  strong  and  brave  hearts  and  minds  in  the  battal- 
ion. ]S[othing  is  more  important  in  keeping  up  morale 
than  a  supply  of  really  good  reading  matter  for  the  men 
in  hours  of  enforced  inactivity.  Human  fellowship,  good 
books  and  music  are  three  of  the  best  medicines  and  tonics 
in  the  world." 

The  subcommittee  of  the  "Gifts"  in  charge  of  reading 
matter  was  called  Livre  du  Soldat  Beige.  We  gave  a  grant 
to  purchase  company  libraries  of  eighty  books  and  to  have 
made  strong  cases  in  which  to  ship  and  keep  them.  The 
Livre  du  Soldat  Beige  organized  the  service  so  that  within 


FOR  THOSE  WHO  HELD  THE  LINE  149 

the  regiment  each  case  was  different  and  could  he  circu- 
lated from  company  to  company.     Books  were  furnished 
in  French,  Flemish,  and  English.    A  special  service  gave 
books  for  industrial,  mechanical  and  professional  train- 
ing.    It  was  extraordinary  to  find  how  many  young  col- 
lege men  there  were  in  the  Belgian  Army.     And  just  as 
extraordinary  was  it  to  see  how  the  enforced  separation 
from  studies  and  contact  with  practical  life  gave  value  in 
their  eyes  to  learning.     The  war  itself  as  waged  by  engi- 
neers  and  chemists   and  mechanics   of  one  kind  or   an- 
other.    Every  shell  fired  meant  intricate  calculations  and 
computations.     Artificial  things  had  been   stripped  from 
life  and  they  were  immersed  in  reality.     The  schoolboys' 
blase  indifference  to  books  and  the  typical  school  atti- 
tude of  contempt  for  the  "grind"  and  admiration  for  the 
jnan  of  the  world  were  all  knocked  to  pieces  in  the  deadly 
reality  of  war.     They  saw  that  knowledge  was  power,  and 
power  was  life  and  victory.    They  wanted  to  keep  up  with 
their  studies  so  that  they  would  not  be  too  far  behind 
when  the  war  ended.     So  we  got  the  books  and  we  fol- 
lowed the  books  up.     Some  we  found  in  pill  boxes  and 
some  were  torn  and  some  were  soaked  with  blood,  but 
they  did  their  job.     Like  the  dead  horses  and  blinded 
horses    and   wounded   dogs    and   broken    automobiles,   the 
wounded  books  helped  hold  the  line.    Eor  amusement,  for 
medicine,  for  instruction,  for  moral  training,  they  were 
among  our  most  effective  agents.    They  were  a  part  of  the 
preparedness  for  peace  begun  in  war.     And  by  keeping 
up  morale  they  helped  with  the  war. 

Madame  Paul  Hymans  placed  her  Centres  of  Recrea- 
tion in  the  forward  areas  of  the  army  and  did  admirable 
work  in  furnishing  moving  pictures  and  other  entertain- 
]nents.  After  the  armistice,  her  work  was  much  en- 
larged for  the  soldiers  holding  the  Rhine.  She  secured 
the  help  of  two  especially  effective  men:  Conrad  Ver- 
haeghe  de  !N'aeher  and  Charles  de  Smeth  of  Brussels. 
They  had  taken  their  lives  in  their  hands  and  made  their 


150  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

escape  from  Brussels  in  1918.  They  had  lain  all  one  night 
in  the  cold,  wet  bushes  300  yards  from  the  frontier  of 
Holland  before  they  found  a  chance  to  make  the  desperate 
run,  cut  the  electric  wire  and  crawl  under.  When  they 
reached  the  Khineland  they  saw  clearly  that  conditions  of 
life  for  the  soldiers  were  bound  to  be  difficult.  "No  Bel- 
gian or  French  newspaper  arrives,"  they  wrote  under  date 
of  December  27,  1918.  "The  revictualing  is  infrequent 
and  insufficient.  Railway  wagons  are  robbed  en  route. 
It  is  not  possible  to  depend  on  the  inhabitants  for  food 
for  they  have  nothing  to  give.  All  the  soldiers  deplore 
their  isolation  and  their  lack  of  quick  communication 
with  their  families." 

A  report  from  a  Red  Cross  man  at  the  same  time  said : 
"The  Belgians  occupy  a  very  flat  country — a  rich  farm- 
ing country  sept  bare  by  war — stretching  from  Diissel- 
dorf  north  to  where  the  Rhine  enters  Holland.  It  is  a 
God-forsaken  kind  of  a  job  to  do  garrison  duty  now  that 
the  war  is  over,  and  I  believe  the  appropriations  made  for 
canteen  work  will  do  great  good."  To  Madame  Hymans' 
work  in  Germany  we  gave  cash  and  supplies  of  the  value  of 
200,000  francs.  Madame  de  Hemptinne,  whom  we  had 
helped  in  soldier  welfare  work  also  moved  up  to  Crefeld, 
Germany,  and  established  useful  canteens.  Lieutenant 
Duclot  of  the  Belgian  Army  was  detailed  to  install  the 
cinema  apparatus.  "Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers"  purchased 
a  considerable  number  and  showed  good  team  work  by  in- 
stalling them  in  the  Centres  of  Madame  Hymans  and 
Madame  de  Hemptinne's  as  well  as  in  the  canteens  and 
military  clubs  of  their  own. 


CHAPTER  XX 
What  Civil  Hospitals  Did 

THE  story  of  the  civil  hospital  in  the  war  is  full  of 
interest  and  significance.  What  civil  hospitals  did 
was  what  civilian  doctors  did  in  every  allied  country,  viz : 
bear  enormous  responsibility  and  a  crushing  burden  of 
work.  To  begin  with  the  great  majority  of  effective  doc- 
tors and  surgeons  in  Europe  were  called  to  the  colors  leav- 
ing double,  treble  and  quadruple  duty  for  the  older  men 
at  home.  Even  in  the  United  States  the  burden  on  doc- 
tors left  behind  was  very  heavy. 

In  European  countries  many  civil  hospitals  were  taken 
over  for  military  purposes,  leaving  the  institution  to  make 
such  provisional  arrangements  elsewhere  as  were  pos- 
sible. 

All  the  hospitals  of  Belgium  were  captured  by  the 
Germans  except  a  few  behind  the  British  and  Belgian 
lines  like  Ypres  and  Fumes,  which  were  soon  knocked 
to  pieces  by  shells.  Many  of  the  hospitals  of  northern 
Erance  which  the  Commission  to  Belgium  had  to  look 
after,  likewise  were  captured  or  destroyed. 

Among  those  that  had  to  be  evacuated  were  Hazebrouck, 
Bethune  and  Arras.  This  threw  a  heavy  load  on  the 
Jiospitals  that  remained.  From  a  military  standpoint  the 
civil  hospitals  were  important  for  two  reasons.  If  they 
did  not  function,  the  military  hospitals  had  to  do  their 
Avork  and  this  additional  call  generally  came  in  times  of 
military  activity  when  they  were  the  busiest,  ^o  mili- 
tary hospital  would  refuse  shelled  or  bombed  civilians  if 
Ihey  had  nowhere  else  to  go.     The  great  Belgian  Ocean 

151 


152  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Hospital  at  La  Panne  repeatedly  took  in  civilians  to  tide 
over  an  emergency. 

On  the  purely  medical  side  also,  civil  hospitals  were 
important  from  a  military  standpoint  to  deal  with  conta- 
gious disease  which,  if  once  started,  spread  from  civilians 
to  soldiers. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  civilian  population,  the 
civil  hospitals  had  an  importance  ten  fold  greater  than 
in  time  of  peace.  Whether  in  forward  areas  of  the  army 
or  in  the  interior,  life  was  abnormal.  People  were  ex- 
posed to  shells  or  the  bombs  of  aviators.  If  free  from 
such  dangers,  they  had  others  more  stealthy.  Their  food 
did  not  feed  them,  or  their  houses  were  overcrowded,  or 
their  work  was  under  hard  conditions  and  the  family  doc- 
tor had  gone  to  the  war.  There  might  be  only  one  prac- 
titioner left  for  a  score  of  little  villages,  and  his  only 
method  of  getting  about  might  be  one  of  the  old  high  two- 
wheeled  gigs  drawn  by  a  horse  too  old  and  decrepit  for 
military  use.  If  he  prescribed,  the  drug  stores  might  be 
empty,  or  at  best  be  like  the  little  drug  store  down  along 
the  Marne  carrying  on  bravely  with  "nothing  but  liver 
pills  and  almanacs." 

Little  boys  continued  to  fall  out  of  apple  trees  and 
break  their  arms  as  they  had  before  the  war.  The  old 
grandfather  cut  his  leg  with  the  axe  as  he  split  the  wood. 
The  old  woman  got  bronchitis.  The  young  mother  had 
her  baby  to  bring  forth.  If  tuberculosis  had  a  foothold 
anywhere,  it  flamed  up  under  the  hardships.  Wells  were 
polluted,  water  mains  were  broken,  reservoirs  were  cap- 
tured by  the  enemy  and  typhoid  took  a  deadly  toll. 

All  such  conditions  were  felt  especially  where  refugees 
crowded  together,  and  to  all  else  was  added  the  mental 
suffering  of  peasants  who  had  to  be  treated  by  strangers 
whose  language  they  did  not  understand,  and  whose  ways 
were  strange  to  them. 

When  one  came  to  deal  with  the  civil  hospital  situation, 
one  found   a   further   complication.      Both   doctors   and 


WHAT  CIVIL  HOSPITALS  DID  153 

nurses  wanted  to  do  military  work  rather  than  civilian. 
It  was  the  same  with  the  volunteers.  There  was  a  glamor 
about  the  one  thing  entirely  lacking  in  the  other.  Every 
red-blooded  man  or  woman  on  earth  wanted  to  prove  his 
courage — to  show  that  he  was  not  a  shirker — to  serve  in 
the  advanced  surgical  post  exposed  to  gas  and  shells  rather 
than  40  miles  in  the  rear.  It  was  difficult  to  get  personnel 
for  civil  hospital  work. 

When  once  it  was  understood,  when  the  whole  mass  of 
loathesome,  repulsive,  dangerous  disease  was  seen,  when 
the  deep  human  need  with  its  appeal  was  realized,  some 
of  the  finest  men  and  women  volunteered  for  this  service. 

To  their  everlasting  credit  let  it  be  said  that  they  knew 
that  they  cut  themselves  off  from  mention  in  despatches, 
from  honors  and  decorations,  and  perhaps  even  from  any 
real  understanding  of  their  service  by  their  fellows. 

What  we  did  along  civil  hospital  lines  may  be  summar- 
ized as  follows : 

a.  We  equipped  a  small  civil  hospital  in  the  Doorntje, 
near  Leysele,  West  Flanders  eight  miles  from  the  front 
line  for  the  use  of  the  Service  de  Sante  of  the  Minister  of 
the  Interior,  and  furnished  supplies  for  it,  amounting  to 
seventv  thousand  francs. 

b.  We  furnished  clothing,  dressings  and  other  supplies 
for  the  Belgian  Maternity  Hospital  at  Rousbrugge,  West 
Flanders.  When  Rousbrugge  was  shelled  we  helped  evac- 
uate this  hospital  to  Leysele  and  when  Leysele  was  bombed 
we  helped  evacuate  again  to  a  part  of  the  civil  hospital  in 
the  Doorntje. 

c.  We  supplied  the  Hopital  Elisabeth,  of  the  Countess 
Van  den  Steen  at  Couthove,  near  Poperinghe,  also  close 
to  the  front  and  always  in  danger,  with  a  large  quantity  of 
drugs,  bandages  and  dressings,  installed  electricity  for  it 
and  gave  it  financial  help.  This  hospital  did  an  impor- 
tant civilian  work  but  took  some  soldiers  and  also  Belgian 
gendarmes  who  were  militarized. 

d.  We  gave  money  and  supplies  to  the  Hopital  Alex- 


154  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

andra  of  the  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit  at  Dunkirk  as  de- 
scribed in  the  following  chapter,  and  took  the  entire  sup- 
port of  the  little  hospitals  which  they  pushed  forward  at 
the  time  of  the  allied  advance  in  the  fall  of  1918  at 
Courtrai,  Roulers,  Poperinghe,  Lille,  and  Eoubaix. 

e.  We  helped  the  hospital  of  Madame  de  Liouville  at 
Ebblingham,  and  with  the  French  Prefet  of  Calais,  the 
Friends'  Ambulance  Unit,  the  British  P.  M.  O.  (medical 
officer  of  the  area)  and  Madame  de  Liouville,  wife  of  a 
French  officer  of  note,  we  formed  an  alliance  to  establish  a 
new  hospital  for  Madame  de  Liouville  at  Lumbres  west  of 
St.  Omer  when  it  seemed  likely  that  the  Germans  would 
sweep  over  Ebblingham. 

f.  We  bought  the  Chateau  of  Job  in  the  Auvergne 
for  150,000  francs  as  an  additional  tuberculosis  sanato- 
rium under  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  and  gave  an  X-ray 
machine  and  other  supplies  to  the  existing  sanatorium  at 
Chanay. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Belgians  who  paid 
350,000  francs  for  Chanay  sold  off  enough  farm  land  to 
pay  for  the  institution  and  all  its  furnishing  and  that 
both  institutions  have  been  kept  since  the  war  as  they 
give  an  elevation  and  a  climate  which  can  not  be  found 
anywhere  in  Belgium. 

g.  We  put  a  little  barrack  up  four  miles  back  of  Ypres 
for  Dr.  Louf,  the  one  civil  doctor  who  remained  in  this 
dangerous  sector  and  who  was  not  only  physician  and  sur- 
geon, but  burgomaster,  townclerk,  and  banker  for  the 
peasants  who  stayed. 

h.  We  gave  another  barrack  at  a  cost  of  9,000  francs 
for  a  little  Belgian  maternity  hospital  in  Calais. 

i.  We  helped  the  overtaxed  French  civil  hospitals  at  St. 
Omer,  Montreuil-sur-mer,  Henchin,  Hesdin,  and  Arras 
with  both  money  and  garments. 

j.  We  installed  electricity  at  La  Chartreuse,  a  most 
picturesque  Belgian  civil  hospital  in  a  huge  monastery  of 
the  Carthusian  monks  near  British  General  Headquarters 


WHAT  CIVIL  HOSPITALS  DID  155 

at  Montreuil.     We  got  an  X-raj  machine  for  them,  and 
furnished  other  supplies. 

k.  We  organized  and  supported  a  Belgium  civil  hos- 
pital at  Le  Havre  for  refugees  which  had  to  be  turned  for 
a  time  into  a  military  hospital  to  take  care  of  a  great  in- 
flux of  wounded. 

1.  Most  important  of  all,  we  organized  with  the  Minis- 
ter of  Interior  at  Le  Havi*e  a  hospital,  a  clinic,  a  creche^ 
and  a  pouponniere  for  children  in  which  Dr.  Park  did  his 
great  work,  and  from  which  sprang  Dr.  Ramsey's  impor- 
tant work  at  Rouen. 

The  civil  hospital  work  in  both  France  and  Belgium 
would  have  had  a  sorry  time  of  it  if  it  had  not  been  for 
various  orders  of  Catholic  sisters.  The  Belgian  Red  Cross 
took  the  position  that  most  of  them  were  not  trained  in 
the  modern  way,  that  nursing  is  a  profession  as  much  as 
doctoring,  and  standards  should  be  set  high  and  main- 
tained. But  they  also  recognized  that  if  a  man  is  off  in 
the  wilderness  and  a  tree  falls  on  him — he  may  well  be 
grateful  even  for  a  simple  untrained  woodsman  who  can 
bind  up  his  wounds  and  give  him  a  chance  to  live. 

Over  considerable  areas  and  at  some  periods  of  the  war 
there  was  nobody  else  to  do  the  work  of  civil  hospitals 
but  religious  sisters.  They  did  heroic  work.  They  car- 
ried water  long  distances  in  pails.  They  scrubbed  floors. 
They  washed  dirty  linen.  They  did  the  cooking.  They 
bathed  and  clothed  and  fed  all  kinds  of  patients  afflicted 
with  all  kinds  of  diseases.  They  put  up  with  every  kind 
of  building  and  housekeeping  inconvenience  when  they 
had  to  and  made  earnest  appeals  for  changes  needed  when 
they  saw  a  chance. 

Some  were  illiterate  peasants  and  some  were  cultured 
ladies.  They  had  their  little  jealousies.  But  for  sheer 
endurance,  for  fidelity  in  times  apt  to  shake  anybody,  and 
for  devotion  to  human  beings  as  God's  children,  nobody 
in  the  war  surpassed  them.  There  were  Avhite  sisters  and 
brown  sisters  and  black  sisters  so  far  as  garb  was  con- 


156  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

cerned,  and  sometimes  necessity  made  the  authorities  mix 
different  kinds  of  sisters  in  one  institution. 

The  much-tried  head  of  one  great  hospital,  himself  a 
devout  Catholic,  said  one  day :  "The  trouble  is  not  serious 
but  there  is  always  a  little  friction  when  you  mix  them  up. 
And  there  are  three  reasons  for  it:  First,  they  belong  to 
different  countries;  second,  they  have  different  customs  in 
their  different  orders;  third,  they  are  all  women." 

The  Commission  to  Belgium  could  have  used  five  hun- 
dred strong  mature  American  women  at  any  time  as 
nurses,  who  had  no  training  whatever  as  nurses  but  who 
had  health,  common  sense,  ability  to  obey  orders  and  to 
fit  into  the  lives  of  foreigners  A\nith  different  ideas  and 
standards.  The  civil  hospitals  of  Belgium  and  northern 
France  were  undermanned  in  every  way. 

The  American  Red  Cross  did  much  to  make  up  for  the 
lack,  and  to  cheer  on  the  overtaxed  workers  by  sympathy, 
advice,  friendliness  and  gifts  of  everything  needed  from 
drugs,  blankets  and  dressings  down  to  money,  and  in  sev- 
eral cases  gave  that  which  in  this  field  Belgians  and 
French  could  not  supply  for  themselves — additional 
trained  help. 


CHAPTEK  XXI 
Quaker  Foundations  for  Our  Work 

IN"  the  pursuit  of  Eliza,  in  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 
Phineas,  the  Quaker,  met  Simon  Legree,  the  slave- 
catcher,  as  he  jumped  a  chasm,  and  pushing  out  his 
long  arms  sent  Simon  crashing  down  on  the  rocks,  saying, 
"Friend,  thee  hast  gone  far  enough."  Then,  the  danger 
over,  he  went  down  and  rescued  Simon,  bore  him  to  his 
own  house,  cared  for  him  and  made  him  a  new  man. 

Since  Quakers  first  "saw  the  light,"  there  has  been 
this  everlasting  conflict  between  the  duty  to  meet  force 
with  force  and  the  ideal  of  nonresistance. 

The  Quakers,  as  I  have  seen  them,  have  a  high  average 
of  intelligence,  unselfishness  and  practical  efficiency. 

It  was  to  the  Quakers  of  England,  as  well  as  the  non- 
Quakers,  that  the  war  summons  came  in  1914.  According 
to  their  interpretation  of  the  religion  of  Christ,  they  could 
not  use  military  force  even  to  meet  Germany.  They  were 
commanded  by  the  "inner  light"  to  use  other  ways.  To 
some  this  is  foolishness,  and  yet  a  foolishness  which  has 
back  of  it  a  sublime  wisdom  and  a  prophecy  of  a  more 
perfect  age. 

At  any  rate,  there  was  nothing  in  their  religion  which 
made  them  soft,  shirking  or  cowardly.  They  quoted  in 
their  meetings  the  command  "Take  your  share  of  hard- 
ship as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ."  They  had  a  his- 
tory of  service  in  other  wars.  So  when  "The  Great  War" 
came  to  England,  the  young  Quakers  began  to  move  spon- 
taneously to  see  what  they  could  do. 

"The  War  Victims  Relief  Committee"  and  the  "Friends' 

157 


158  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Ambulance  Unit"  were  the  two  main  channels  of  Quaker 
war  work. 

The  first  of  these  organizations  held  itself  more  rigidly 
to  non-military  work.  The  second  carried  wounded  sol- 
diers as  well  as  civilians  throughout  the  war. 

We  came  into  touch  with  the  "War  Victims  Relief  Com- 
mittee" soon  after  we  reached  Paris  in  1917.  Henry  Scat- 
^ergood  and  Morris  Leeds,  Philadelphia  Quakers,  who 
came  over  on  the  ship  with  the  original  commission  of 
the  American  Red  Cross,  were  determined  that  Colonel 
Bicknell  and  I  should  visit  "the  relief  work  of  the  English 
Quakers  down  along  the  Marne,"  before  we  did  anything 
else.  ISTobody  could  resist  Scattergood.  He  put  the  whole 
thing  through,  got  the  orders  and  the  passes  while  we 
were  still  unorganized,  had  a  big  Renault  limousine  turned 
over  to  us,  and  then  went  off  with  Leeds  by  rail  to  meet 
us  there. 

Colonel  Bicknell,  Major  Ernest  McCullough  of  the  army, 
at  that  time  a  part  of  the  Red  Cross  Construction  Depart- 
ment, and  I,  with  R.  C.  Toms^  an  American  ambulance 
boy  with  a  fine  record,  drove  out  along  the  rue  Lafayette 
toward  the  northeast  on  a  trip  which  will  always  stand 
out  vividly  in  our  minds. 

Within  an  hour  we  were  out  around  Meaux  where  the 
high  tide  of  the  German  advance  had  penetrated  in  1914. 
Then  far  off  we  heard  the  rumble  of  the  guns  coming  closer 
and  closer. 

Those  were  days  of  keen  and  vivid  impression  for  us. 
We  saw  the  observation  balloons  on  the  lines.  We  passed 
the  French  troops  going  up  and  coming  back  from  the 
trenches  and  all  the  services  of  supply.  We  saw  destroyed 
villages,  little  places  like  Sermaize  quite  wiped  out  in 
1914  by  the  armies  of  the  Crown  Prince. 

Then  for  four  days  in  this  lovely  Marne  country  we 
studied  the  work  of  these  English  Friends  spread  out  from 
Chalons-sur-Marne  to  Bar  le-duc„  and  from  Bar  le-duc  to 
U'royes. 


QUAKER   FOUNDATIONS   FOR  OUR   WORK   159 

Their  work  dealt  with  French  civilians — the  sick  who 
had  no  place  to  go,  the  children  orphaned  by  war,  the  refu- 
gees living  in  congested  cities  and  to^vns,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  region  who  were  trying  to  rebuild  their  homes,  and 
the  peasant  families  whose  places  were  intact  but  who 
were  struggling  to  cultivate  and  harvest  with  a  country 
stripped  of  its  best  man  power. 

There  was  a  little  civil  hospital  at  Chalons  with  Dr. 
Hilda  Clark,  a  granddaughter  of  John  Bright,  in  charge. 
She  had  such  strong  native  intelligence  and  fine  scien- 
tific training,  and  she  had  been  out  in  France  so  long- 
that  she  was  not  merely  the  head  doctor  of  a  little  civilian 
hospital  but  a  competent  public  health  advisor  for  the 
entire  region. 

The  ambulances  stationed  here  had  been  going  regu- 
larly into  Eheims,  always  more  or  less  under  shell  fire, 
and  had  been  bringing  out  the  old  people,  the  sick  and  the 
children. 

We  saw  another  civil  hospital  near  Sermaize  and  an 
orphanage  with  the  happiest  lot  of  children  to  be  found 
anywhere  at  Bettancourt. 

The  Friends  themselves  had  found  refuge  and  a  head- 
quarters for  their  work  in  an  abandoned  hotel  to  which 
was  attached  a  bath  establishment  at  Sermaize,  The  heal- 
ing waters  bubbled  up  peacefully  and  sparkled  in  the  sim 
although  over  toward  the  north,  the  guns  kept  going  all 
night  and  at  daybreak  made  a  great  thundering. 

At  the  head  of  the  equipe  or  unit  at  Sermaize  was 
Marjorie  Fry,  on  leave  from  her  work  in  the  Woman's 
Department  of  Birmingham  University,  and  now  in  1921 
standing  for  Parliament.  In  the  relief  field  she  was  the 
type  which  thinks  and  moves  with  great  speed.  She  had 
a  fine  mind,  long  contact  with  the  problems  we  were  fac- 
ing, a  bubbling,  effervescent,  fun-loving  personality,  side 
by  side  with  her  deep  human  sympathy. 

Among  the  more  sober  Quakers  about  the  fire  the  first 
night  of  our  visit  we  found  other  unusual  types,  lawyers, 


160  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

doctors,  engineers,  clerks,  all  of  them  well  read,  most  of 
them  philosophers  and  every  one  of  them  out  there  to 
actually  do  things  and  not  to  supervise  some  one  else.  The 
young  men  climbed  on  to  mowing  machines  and  helped  get 
in  the  crops.  They  took  hammers  and  nails  and  saws  and 
built  houses  for  people  to  live  in.  The  girls  baked  and 
stewed  and  washed  and  visited  the  people  in  their  homes. 
Everybody  took  his  place  and  went  to  the  kitchen  stove 
to  get  his  own  breakfast.  These  ruddy-faced  men  and 
women  were  there  for  business,  and  one  of  the  things  they 
settled  in  the  beginning  was  that  overworked  France 
should  not  have  to  work  for  them. 

Strange  comment  is  all  this  on  our  fussing  and  theoriz- 
ing about  nations  getting  together.  Here  was  every  rea- 
son why  the  English  Quakers  should  not  understand  the 
French,  and  the  French  not  understand  the  Quakers. 
There  is  nothing  in  a  Frenchman  to  respond  to  the  idea 
of  nonresistance,  or  in  a  Frenchwoman  to  respond  to 
Quaker  bonnets.  France  and  England  have  an  inherit- 
ance of  ancient  wars.  Yet  here  we  saw  the  French  peas- 
ants turning  to  these  sober  gray-clad  men  and  women  with 
the  most  touching  devotion.  Plain,  old-fashioned  neigh- 
borly kindness  broke  down  every  barrier  of  race  or  creed 
or  garb  or  language. 

Those  Quakers  are  still  there  in  this  year  of  our  Lord 
1921,  sought  by  the  Pre  jets  and  Sous-Prefets  to  help  them 
in  the  arduous  work  of  reconstruction. 

We  walked  through  Sermaize  and  other  little  villages 
where  all  the  shelters  were  the  wooden  shelters  the  Friends 
put  up  and  all  the  live  stock,  the  rabbits  and  chickens 
which  they  supplied. 

We  saw  French  and  German  graves  scattered  over  the 
fields  and  along  the  roads.  Just  out  of  the  village  of  Ser- 
maize was  the  grave  of  the  German  officer  who  gave  the 
order  to  burn  the  town  and  it  was  carefully  tended  like 
the  rest. 

We  stopped  by  one  of  the  temporary  wooden  houses  the 


QUAKER   FOUNDATIONS   FOR  OUR  WORK   l6l 

Friends  had  put  up  and  talked  to  tlie  woman  who  stood 
on  her  side  porch.  Her  main  support  was  her  garden  and 
we  noticed  how  much  space  in  the  garden  was  taken  up 
by  two  German  graves  of  soldiers  who  three  years  before 
had  burned  her  home  with  the  others.  Covering  the  graves 
was  a  wealth  of  nasturtiums  in  full  bloom.  We  were  in- 
expressibly touched  by  her  care  of  the  graves  and  her 
reply  to  our  questions:  "The  German  women  v/ould  do 
the  same  by  our  dead." 

We  visited  sewing  rooms  in  larger  places  where  refu- 
gee women  were  at  work  for  themselves  and  their  coun- 
ti'ymen.  We  saw  how  the  Friends,  just  as  Hoover  did  in 
Occupied  Belgium,  sold  to  those  who  could  pay  and  gave 
to  those  who  could  not.  W^e  saw  houses  they  had  rented, 
cleaned  up  and  subrented  at  reasonable  rates  to  refugee 
families. 

As  we  drove  back  to  Paris,  Sunday,  July  1,  19 lY,  Bick- 
nell  said,  "That  is  the  real  thing.  There  is  no  humbug 
about  that  relief  work.  They  are  on  sound  lines.  We 
must  tie  up  with  them,  help  them  to  expand,  and  take  ad- 
vantage of  their  experience." 

All  through  July  and  August,  Bicknell  and  I  were  work- 
ing with  the  Commission  for  France  as  a  Department  of 
Social  and  Economic  Conditions,  studying  and  planning. 
We  got  into  touch  with  the  English  Friends'  Committee  in 
Paris  of  which  Wilfred  Shewell  was  secretary  and  Ealph 
Elliott  treasurer. 

Ted  Harvey,  member  of  Parliament,  and  Chairman  of 
the  Friends  work  for  France,  often  came  into  our  con- 
ferences, back  on  his  bicycle  from  the  Marne  or  Somme, 
or  just  over  from  England  on  one  of  his  many  trips.  Dr. 
Hilda  Clark  and  Marjorie  Fry  sat  up  late  at  night  help- 
ing us  plan  civilian  work. 

We  asked  them  to  show  what  they  could  do  with  more 
money.  Leeds  and  Scattergood  asked  them  how  English 
and  American  Friends  could  work  together. 

Under  Bicknell's  wise  direction,  I  worked  steadily  with 


162  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

them  at  plans  of  cooperation.  Homer  Folks  came  and 
took  charge  of  all  American  Red  Cross  civilian  work  in 
France  and  saw  immediately  the  possibilities. 

On  August  25,  I  recorded  in  my  diary: 

"Finance  Committee  (of  the  Red  Cross)  put  through 
today,  the  English  Friends'  estimate  of  533,000  francs 
for  the  next  three  months'  work.  Had  tea  at  'Vouille- 
mont'  with  Ted  Harvey,  Miss  Pye,  Miss  Frye,  Mr.  Scat- 
tergood  and  Shewell.  Folks  has  come  up  to  the  mark 
quickly  and  splendidly  on  this  Friends  business.  Bicknell 
has  been  strong  for  it.  Left  me  to  handle  it  the  last 
week  while  he  was  in  Switzerland.  I'm  glad  it  is  settled 
the  right  way.  Henry  Allen  of  Kansas  and  William  Al- 
len White  to  dinner  with  me  tonight  and  were  keenly  in- 
terested in  all  this  Quaker  business  with  which  I  was 
Inibbling  over." 

Davison  back  in  Washington,  and  Grayson  Murphy  had 
the  vision  to  see  the  possibilities  and  they  had  acted  with 
that  confidence,  speed,  and  precision  whicli  won  our  de- 
voted allegiance. 

When  the  American  Friends'  first  unit  arrived  in  Paris, 
Henry  Scattergood  got  them  together  and  said  this  to 
them : 

•'We  are  here  because  we  feel  that  we  must  do  some- 
thing, not  expecting  an  easier  life  than  the  millions  of  men 
who  are  following  their  light  in  other  ways,  and  we  are 
ready  to  do  the  hardest  and  lowliest  kind  of  work.  It 
is  not  that  our  blood  is  any  less  red  or  our  patriotism 
any  less  real,  it  is  that  we  are  conscious  that  we  are 
servants  of  a  King  who  is  above  all  nations — the  King  of 
Love,  and  that  we  must  live  out  his  gospel  of  love." 

In  "American  Red  Cross  Work  Among  the  French 
People"  by  Fisher  Ames,  and  in  "A  Service  of  Love  in 
War  Time"  by  Rufus  M.  Jones,  a  professor  of  Haverford 
College  and  head  of  the  American  Friends'  Service  Com- 
mittee, the  story  of  this  unit  is  told. 

Mr.  Jones  tells,  for  example,  about  sawing  boards,  or 


QUAKER   FOUNDATIONS   FOR  OUR   WORK    163 

putting  in  window  sashes,  or  hanging  doors,  for  destitute 
peasants  in  destroyed  villages  along  the  Marne  and  in.  the 
Somme,  but  the  Quaker  boy  who  nails  and  hammers  \\Tites : 

"Oh,  patient  master  workman  of  the  world, 

Shaper  of  all  this  home  of  human  kind ! 
Teach  me  the  truer  trade  of  making  doors  and  windows 
for  men's  souls : 
Windows  for  letting  in  love's  widening  dawn. 
Doors    swinging    outward    freely    on    Truth's    pleasant 
ways." 

In  France  the  work  was  divided  into  six  departments : 
medical,  building,  works,  manufacturing,  agriculture,  re- 
lief. Three  other  services  had  to  be  added:  transport, 
maintenance,  equipment.  jSTo  organization  in  Europe  sur- 
passed the  Quakers  in  quick  adaptability  and  hard  common 
sense.  They  did  the  thing  needed  and  did  it  with  un- 
usual intelligence.  And  they  all  fell  to  with  their  hands 
and  well  as  their  heads. 

In  all  600  men  served  in  France  in  the  American 
Friends'  Unit  and  to  their  work  the  American  Red  Cross 
gave  $621,699.22. 

Their  leaders,  Henry  Scattergood,  Charles  Evans,  Dr. 
James  A.  Babbitt,  and  Charles  J.  Ehoads,  set  high 
standards  of  forceful  wise  administration. 

Their  service  of  love  in  war  time  was  this :  They  went 
into  the  Jura  mountains,  felled  trees,  sawed  lumber,  manu- 
factured portable  houses,  rebuilt  burned  villages,  evacu- 
ated refugees,  operated  maternity  hospitals,  cared  for 
the  tubercular,  fought  contagion,  picked  up  the  wounded, 
helped  in  schools  for  the  mutiles,  worked  at  making  arti- 
ficial limbs,  conducted  children's  colonies,  ran  tractors, 
T»lows,  reapers,  etc.,  to  help  peasants  get  in  their  crops,  and 
did  it  so  as  to  make  the  French  love  them. 

For  Quakers  to  keep  out  of  war,  however,  is  an  impos- 
sibility, no  matter  how  much  they  may  think  they  do. 


164  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

There  is  iiobilitj  but  no  logic  in  conscientious  objection. 
In  war  time  whoever  raises  wheat  or  corn  or  cotton  makes 
war,  and  that  in  no  Pickwickian. sense. 

We  won  the  last  war  not  simply  because  Foch  and 
Persbing  and  Sir  Douglas  were  better  generals  than  Luden- 
dorff  and  the  old  Marshal  Hindenburg,  but  because  we 
had  more  iron,  wheat  flour,  cloth  and  hog  fat. 

Whoever  helps  keep  society  going  in  war  time  helps 
keep  the  army  going.  If  it's  wrong  to  drive  an  ammuni- 
tion wagon,  it  is  wrong  to  drive  an  ambulance  and  wrong 
even  to  drive  the  mail  truck  or  farm  wagon  back  home. 

The  Quakers  were  gloriously  illogical.  These  Ameri- 
can Quakers  in  France  and  their  backers  here  at  bome 
helped  defeat  Germany  by  keeping  up  the  morale  of  civil- 
ians in  France.  Strong,  tender  Quaker  hands  helped 
carry  our  wounded  boys  coming  back  from  Chateau- 
Thierry  and  Soissons.    It  was  magnificent,  but  it  was  war. 

But,  logical  or  illogical,  they  drew  the  line  at  killing 
and  even  at  hating.  They  say,  "We  will  do  any  bard, 
dangerous,  dirty,  necessary  job  no  one  else  wants  to  do ;  we 
will  work  patiently  where  no  one  sees  us,  no  one  praises 
us;  we  will  stand  hatred  and  injustice  even,  but  we  won't 
violate  our  consciences  by  standing  up  and  killing  our 
fellow  men." 

ISTo  outgrowth  of  the  war  along  relief  lines  is  more  sig- 
nificant than  the  movement  described  in  a  closing  para- 
graph of  Dr.  Jones : 

"The  Service  Committee  is  calling  upon  young  Friends 
throughout  the  country  to  look  toward  volunteering  for  at 
least  one  year  of  service  for  others  before  entering  upon 
their  life  career  in  business  vocations.  Many  types  of 
community  service  are  being  proposed  for  their  consider- 
ation, while  the  Service  Committee  stands  ready  to  open 
the  door  for  each  specific  line  of  activity  and  to  provide 
financial  assistance  for  the  experiment.  It  is  hoped  of 
course  that  many  qualified  persons  will  thus  be  turned  per- 
manently into  avenues  of  public  and  community  service." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Quakers  in  Action  at  the  Front 

WHEN  we  got  to  work  in  Flanders,  we  found  Quakers 
in  uniform.  Up  in  the  last  corner  of  France  at 
Dunkirk,  we  came  on  to  the  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit. 
What  Colonel  Bicknell  had  said  down  on  the  Marne — "Tie 
up  to  these  Quakers" — he  repeated  with  even  greater  em- 
phasis at  Dunkirk.  "If  we  are  to  use  existing  agencies, 
here  is  the  real  thing." 

The  Hon.  Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  C.  B.  E.,  C.  B.,  M.  V.  O., 
Chairman  of  the  British  Red  Cross  Society  and  of  the 
Order  of  St.  John,  put  it  this  way:  "All  interested  in 
adventure,  loyalty,  endurance,  skill,  devotion  to  duty  and 
self-sacrifice,  should  read  the  story  of  the  Friends'  Ambu- 
lance Unit." 

When  we  came  to  know  General  Forwood,  Provost  Mas- 
ter General  of  the  British  Army,  he  said:  "We  don't 
accept  their  principles,  but  they  have  kept  their  word, 
played  the  game,  and  showed  real  courage." 

The  story  of  the  beginning  of  their  work  is  full  of  ro- 
mance. Early  in  the  war,  while  the  Friends  were  seeking 
ways  to  help,  Philip  Baker,  who  had  been  one  of  their 
most  famous  athletes  at  Cambridge,  talked  over  with  Sir 
George  I*^ewman  and  others  the  organization  of  an  Ambu- 
lance Unit,  got  their  approval  and  issued  an  appeal  in 
"The  Friend"  of  Aug-ust  21,  1914,  for  volunteers. 

They  organized  almost  immediately,  formed  a  training 
camp,  but  nobody  had  anything  for  them  to  do.  They  even 
talked  of  going  to  Serbia,  but  the  way  was  blocked. 

Then  things  happened  suddenly  as  they  generally  hap- 
pen in  war.     They  got  their  chance  because  they  had  a 

165 


166  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

man  on  the  spot  who  saw  it.     That  is  how  chances  come 
in  war. 

Geoffrey  Young,  a  Friend,  was  a  war  correspondent, 
and  got  over  to  the  continent. 

The  little  Belgian  Army  had  been  fighting  their  heroic 
battle  on  the  Yser  and  saving  the  channel  ports.  But  they 
had  paid  heavily  and  their  hospitals  had  not  been  organ- 
ized to  meet  the  strain.  Geoffrey  Young  saw  the  con- 
gestion of  wounded  and  hurried  to  London.  With  Philip 
Baker,  he  went  to  Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  head  of  the  British 
Red  Cross  Society,  with  an  offer  to  go  at  once  to  help 
the  Belgians,  which  w^as  accepted. 

The  unit  got  together  several  tons  of  medical  and 
other  supplies,  eight  ambulances  and  forty-three  men,  of 
whom  three  were  doctors  and  six  dressers  of  wounds,  and 
sailed  from  Dover,  x\ugust  30. 

What  we  found  all  through  the  war,  they  found  the 
first  night  at  Dover, — information  absolutely  misleading. 
They  were  told  that  the  Belgians  had  been  withdrawn 
from  the  line  and  that  there  was  no  need  for  them  "over 
tliere."  But  they  stuck  to  their  purpose  and  crossed  in  the 
morning. 

The  need  met  them  just  out  of  sight  of  land  when 
their  convoy  darted  off  at  high  speed  and  they  themselves 
soon  came  up  to  a  great  English  cruiser,  the  "Hermes," 
torpedoed  and  "sinking  slowly  in  the  tumbling  waters." 
Some  of  the  men  went  overboard  to  help  sailors  who  were 
sinking,  others  helped  man  boats,  still  others  got  up  sup- 
plies, hot  food,  medicines,  and  made  beds  for  the  rescued. 
So  they  had  their  first  illustration  of  need  and  their  bap- 
tism of  service.  They  put  out  again  in  the  afternoon 
after  their  vessel  had  landed  the  survivors,  and  in  Dun- 
kirk after  dark  they  had  their  second  illustration.  N^ews 
came  on  board  where  they  had  settled  down  for  the  night, 
of  wounded  men  lying  around  the  railroad  station  uncared 
for.     They  landed  on  the  dark  wharves,  sorted  surgical 


QUAKERS  IN  ACTION  AT  THE  FRONT       l67 

stores  by  the  light  of  lamps  and  made  their  way  to  the 
siation. 

The  Quakers  are  not  given  to  lurid  description  but  this 
is  what  they  record  themselves: 

"A  terrible  sight  met  their  eyes.  In  the  half-darkness 
of  these  bare  sheds  lay  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  wounded 
men  stretched  on  the  straw-covered  floor,  Frenchmen,  Bel- 
gians, and  here  and  there  a  few  British  and  Germans. 
They  had  been  there,  many  of  them,  for  three  full  days 
and  nights,  practically  unattended,  mostly  even  unfed,  the 
living,  the  dying  and  the  dead  side  by  side,  long  rows  of 
figures  in  every  attitude  of  slow  suffering  or  acute  pain,  of 
utter  fatigue  or  dulled  apathy,  of  appeal  or  despair.  Out 
of  the  cool  night  air,  one  passed  through  these  high  doors 
into  an  atmosphere  that  was  insufferably  revolting.  It 
required  a  great  effort  of  will  to  face  the  sight  and  stench 
of  the  countless  gangrenous  limbs  that  lay  there  helpless 
among  the  foul  straw."  * 

In  this  Dunkirk  where  they  had  been  so  suddenly  set 
down  they  established  themselves.  It  was  one  of  the  most 
terribly  "proved"  or  "tried"  towns  which,  in  spite  of  all, 
held  together.  Both  the  English  and  French  have  deco- 
rated it.  It  was  the  nearest  port  to  the  trenches,  within 
reach  of  the  long  range  guns  behind  the  German  lines, 
shelled  by  fast  little  German  destroyers  on  their  raids 
and  bombed  horribly  up  to  the  very  end.  Other  places 
were  shelled  worse  but  were  evacuated.  Dunkirk  held 
together  although  a  population  of  40,000  went  down  to 
3,000. 

ISTobody  can  well  exaggerate  the  heroism  of  those  who 
kept  this  port  open,  the  railroads  and  trolley  lines  running, 
manufacturing  and  commerce  going  on  under  the  condi- 
tions which  these  people  faced. 

"And  why,"  wrote  Anna  Milo  Upjohn,  after  a  visit, 
''does  one  stay  in  so  precarious  an  outpost  on  the  verge  of 

*"The  Friends'  Ambtilance  Unit,  1914-1919."    Tatharn  and  Miles,  p.  7. 


168  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

the  fighting  line?  Some  perhaps  because  to  set  forth 
alone  or  with  a  brood  of  children  into  an  unknown  world 
already  trampled  by  countless  refugees,  seems  an  equally 
perilous  outlook.  Others  because  their  maintenance  still 
depends  on  the  docks  and  shipyards,  though  the  6,000 
longshoremen  usually  employed  about  the  piers  have  dis- 
appeared. 

"Then  there  are  those  whose  interests  are  bound  up  in 
a  shop  or  other  investment  in  the  town  and  business  is 
brisk  in  Dunkirk  owing  to  the  presence  of  two  armies. 
A  few  there  are  who  are  not  only  of  Dunkirk,  but  who  are 
Dunkirk  itself,  ujjon  whose  presence  depends  the  pros- 
perity of  the  town  and  its  usefulness  to  the  state." 

Such  a  one  was  M.  Morel,  United  States  Consular 
Agent,  and  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
Dunkirk.  His  father  before  him  had  served  France  and 
the  United  States  for  a  lifetime  and  he  had  intense  pride 
in  not  being  driven  out.  His  office  was  open  to  the 
sky  as  a  shell  had  taken  off  the  corner  of  the  room,  but 
he  never  left. 

The  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit  from  this  center  did  civil 
relief  work  for  the  French  and  Belgians,  established 
little  hospitals  both  military  and  civilian,  sent  convoys  of 
ambulances  to  work  in  the  forward  areas  of  the  French 
Army,  manned  British  hospital  trains,  and  hospital  ships, 
and  did  a  varietv  of  services  for  the  British,  French  and 
Belgian  Armies,  and  the  French  and  Belgian  civil  govern- 
ments, which  cannot  be  catalogued  and  hardly  understood 
bv  those  not  there. 

Their  motto  was  "Find  the  thing  which  needs  to  be  done. 
Do  it.    Regularize  it  afterwards  if  you  can." 

Sir  George  ISTewman,  K.  C.  B.,  of  London,  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  of  Friends  which  made  the  work  possible, 
gave  in  March,  1919,  a  concise  statement  of  the  work 
done. 

"You  began,"  said  he,  addressing  the  unit,  "with  43 
men.     You  finish  with  1,800.     You  began  with  a  dona- 


QUAKERS  IN  ACTION  AT  THE  FRONT       l69 

tion  of  a  hundred  pounds;  you  finisli  having  received 
140,000  pounds.  You  began  never  having  served  a 
wounded  man:  vou  finish  having  served  an  innumerable 
host  of  many  races.  .  .  .  You  began  not  knowing  whither 
you  went;  you  finish  having  proved  to  the  hilt  your 
capacity  to  undertake  the  responsibility  of  hospitals,  dress- 
ing stations,  huts,  sanitation,  relief  work,  ambulance  con- 
voys, ambulance  trains,  ambulance  ships,  all  in  a  volun- 
tary unit,  unenlisted,  unarmed  and  unpaid. 

"The  unit  was  responsible  for  more  than  a  dozen  hos- 
pitals which  it  established  and  managed  at  Dunkirk, 
Ypres,  Poperinghe,  Courtrai,  Ilazebrouck,  and  other 
places  in  the  war  zone,  and  at  York,  Birmingham,  Lon- 
don and  Richmond  in  England.  At  the  Queen  Alexandra 
Hospital,  28,000  persons  were  inoculated  against  typhoid; 
14,000  Belgian  refugees  were  fed  and  a  vast  quantity  of 
clothing  distributed;  lace  centers,  temporary  schools,  and 
orphanages,  milk  distribution  and  water  purification  were 
undertaken  in  Belgium;  tens  of  thousands  of  soldiers  were 
received  at  the  three  recreation  huts  in  Dunkirk ;  the  two 
hospital  ships  transported  24,000  cases;  the  ambulance 
convoys  ran  three  million  kilometres  and  carried  245,000 
sick  and  wounded  soldiers ;  and  the  four  ambulance  trains 
conveyed  520,000  cases."  * 

In  the  fall  of  1917  we  found  the  Friends'  Ambulance 
Unit  located  in  the  Hotel  Pyl,  a  four-story  structure  built 
on  the  beach  at  Malo-les-Bains  just  outside  the  walls  of 
Dunkirk.  In  buildings  near  by  were  two  garages  and  a 
storehouse  of  food  and  clothing.  Just  down  the  street 
were  a  number  of  wooden  barracks  in  which  they  had  their 
Hospital  Alexandra,  civil,  military,  army,  navy,  British, 
French,  Belgian,  American,  Portuguese — in  fact  "all 
things  to  all  men"  from  a  sailor  who  fell  down  a  hatch- 
way on  his  ship  in  the  harbor  to  His  Royal  Highness,  the 
Duke  of  Athlone,  brother  of  the  Queen  of  England,  and 

*  'The  Friend,  London.  March,  1919. 


170  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

a  General  in  the  British  Army.  Theoretically  they  kept 
80  beds  for  the  British  Army  and  40  beds  for  the  British 
]!^avy.  Actually  they  had  every  kind  of  a  patient, — the 
American  Red  Cross  Commissioner  at  one  time  counted 
sixteen  nationalities  among  the  patients — British,  French, 
Belgians,  Chinese,  Egyptians,  West  Indians,  Americans, 
Russians,  Serbians,  Hindoos,  Germans,  and  others.  We 
found  them  with  a  noble  record  of  civilian  evacuations 
from  Ypres  and  all  the  country  around,  from  1914  down, 
and  with  long  experiences  in  civil  hospital  work  which 
went  even  so  far  as  organized  "search  party"  work  to  go 
from  house  to  house  in  both  French  Flanders  and  Belgian 
Flanders  to  run  down  contagion  before  it  got  started. 

We  saw  the  medical  authorities  of  the  British  Army 
both  at  General  Headquarters  and  at  the  headquarters 
of  their  different  armies  in  the  field,  who  urged  us  to  help 
the  Friends,  and  said  that  "no  more  intelligent  and  valu- 
able relief  work"  was  being  done  anywhere,  but  that  they 
were  having  a  hard  time  now  to  raise  their  big  budget 
in  England. 

All  these  requests  from  our  Allies  were  powerful  rein- 
forced by  our  inspection  of  the  work  and  by  coming  to 
know  the  men  in  charge. 

Captain  Leslie  Maxwell  and  Captain  Meaburn  Tatham, 
both  commissioned  in  the  British  Army,  the  two  command- 
ing officers  of  the  unit,  with  whom  we  worked,  W.  Mordey, 
Adjutant  of  the  unit,  to  whom  our  War  Department  gave 
a  commission  as  Major  before  we  got  through,  Harold 
Watts  in  charge  of  hospital  trains,  L.  J.  Cadbury  in  charge 
of  transportation,  Brian  T.  Mennell  in  charge  of  Stores, 
Dr.  Humphrey  Nockolds,  Principal  Medical  Officer  of 
the  hospital  and  Doctor  Manning  were  able  men  and  fine 
comrades. 

Five  men  of  the  unit  were  mentioned  in  despatches  by 
British  Commanders,  one  man  twice;  one  received  the 
British  Distinguished  Service  Order,  two  the  Order  of 
the  British  Empire,  three  nurses  the  military  medal,  and 


QUAKERS  IN  ACTION  AT  THE  FRONT       171 

eleven  nurses  the  Royal  Eed  Cross  medal,  while  the  French 
gave  the  Croix  de  Guerre  to  eighty-six  of  these  brave  fel- 
lows. In  addition  the  Belgians  made  eleven  men  Che- 
valiers de  I'Ordre  de  la  Couronne.  A  number  of  other 
French  and  Italian  decorations  were  given. 

As  they  were  sensible  enough  to  put  on  uniforms  in  or- 
der to  get  their  opportunity  to  work  in  the  forward  areas, 
they  were  sensible  enough  not  to  make  themselves  obnox- 
ious by  refusing  decorations.  But  nevertheless  they  were 
true  to  Quaker  ideals  of  simplicity  and  modesty.  It  need 
not  be  said  that  they  were  not  in  the  very  considerable 
group  that  sought  decorations  and  generally  got  them. 

We  had  intended  to  organize  our  own  transportation 
service  at  the  front  but  with  Paris  to  call  on  and  with 
the  Friends  doing  precisely  what  we  proposed,  we  made 
them  our  transportation  agents  and  turned  over  to  them 
nine  heavy  trucks,  a  Ford,  and  several  motor  cycles.  We 
planned  transport  mainly  for  taking  supplies  forward  to 
starving  people  who  might  be  suddenly  liberated  and  to 
bring  people  in  danger  back  to  the  rail  heads.  The  motor 
cycles  were  to  keep  in  touch  all  over  our  vast  area  of  north- 
ern France  and  Free  Belgium. 

In  all  the  demands  upon  the  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit 
after  1917  and  the  sudden  expansion  of  their  work,  due 
especially  to  the  fighting  of  1918 — what  they  did,  they 
themselves  assert — was  only  possible  because  of  the  co- 
operation which  we  were  able  to  give. 

In  addition  to  the  motors,  we  gave  cash  to  the  extent 
of  488,443  francs  and  materials  and  supplies  of  the  value 
of  77,585.20  francs  or  a  total  of  566,028.93  francs. 

In  "The  Friends  Ambulance  Unit  1914-1919"  by  Mea- 
burn  Tatham  and  James  E.  Miles,  recognition  of  this 
service  is  made  in  the  following  way : 

"Colonel  Bicknell,  the  Commissioner  to  Belgium  of  the 
American  Bed  Cross  and  his  associates,  in  the  course  of 
their  investigations  made  during  1917,  discovered  that, 
though  civilian  needs  were  not  at  that  time  great,  the 


172  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Friends'  Ambulance  Unit  had  the  largest  existing  organi- 
zation and  the  necessary  experience  for  undertaking  any 
work  that  might  arise.  They  decided  to  assist  where  as- 
sistance was  most  wanted  and  when  the  call  came  in  the 
spring  of  1918,  they  liberally  placed  large  resources  at 
the  unit's  disposal.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that 
the  unit  could  not  otherwise  have  undertaken  one-quarter 
of  the  work  it  actually  performed  from  then  down  to 
the  end.  It  was  relieved  of  all  financial  anxiety  at  a  time 
when  the  raising  of  additional  funds  for  emergency  work 
was  becoming  increasingly  difficult  and  it  received  the 
valuable  loan  of  a  small  fleet  of  heavy  lorries  indispensa- 
ble for  revitaillement,  evacuation  and  salvage  work.  The 
unit  had  but  to  ask  for  clothing  and  food  supplies  for  re- 
lief work  and  the  American  Eed  Cross  stores  were  at  its 
disposal.  And  what  was  more,  it  received  also  the  benefit 
of  their  counsel  and  sympathy,  always  wise  and  always 
appreciated.  In  another  way  the  connection  with  the 
American  Red  Cross  was  a  close  one  because  during  1918 
several  members  of  that  body  were  attached  for  service 
with  the  unit,  some  of  them  later  taking  a  prominent  part 
in  Belgian  relief  work  after  the  armistice.  The  unit  per- 
haps received  no  greater  compliment  than  the  confidence 
thus  placed  in  it."  * 

One  striking  feature  of  our  cooperation  was  the  re- 
moval of  the  Hospital  Alexandra.  The  Commissioner  spent 
a  night  there  when  both  shelling  and  bombing  were  going 
on.  He  saw  the  patients  taken  hurriedly  from  their  beds 
and  carried  from  the  utter  darkness  of  the  hospital  to  the 
dim  light  of  the  underground  retreat  which  the  Quakers 
had  built  themselves.  'No  matter  how  tenderly  they  were 
lifted,  it  was  bad  business,  both  physically  and  psychically. 
Sometimes  they  were  taken  down  two  or  three  times  a 
night.  A  long  range  shell  had  already  fallen  on  the 
hospital  but  it  hit  a  spot  where  a  barrack  had  burned. 

*PP.  65,  66. 


QUAKERS  IN  ACTION  AT  THE  FRONT       173 

Splinters  from  bombs  and  bullets  from  air  craft  had  al- 
ready jranctured  the  roofs.  Though  no  patients  had  been 
wounded,  the  Commissioner  took  up  vigorously  the  find- 
ing of  a  new  place  less  dangerous.  These  conditions  had 
to  be  met.  It  had  to  be  in  the  Dunkirk  area  as  the  unit 
would  never  consent  to  leave  this  area  so  peculiarly  in 
need  of  their  service.  It  had  to  be  less  dangerous  or  there 
would  be  no  object  in  going.  It  had  to  be  within  their 
financial  means. 

At  Petite  Synthe  out  two  miles  on  the  other  side  of 
Dunkirk  toward  Calais,  a  sanatorium  was  found  that  met 
the  first  two  conditions  and  the  American  Red  Cross  took 
over  the  responsibility  for  the  rent  and  the  entire  expense 
of  removal. 

The  labor  gang  of  the  unit  was  set  to  work  quickly  to 
make  things  ready  at  Petite  Synthe  but  in  the  night  of 
March  24,  1918,  under  very  heavy  bombardment  the  evac- 
uation was  ordered  at  2  A.  M.  and  completed  by  daylight 
without  waiting  for  the  alterations  or  repairs  projected. 

When  a  week  or  so  later  one  of  the  portable  barracks 
used  as  a  ward  was  moved,  a  huge  shell  fell  on  the  exact 
spot  from  which  the  patients  had  been  taken  away.  The 
hospital  had  gone  just  in  the  nick  of  time. 

Another  chance  for  especial  sympathy  and  help  came 
August  11,  1918,  when  the  Hotel  Pyl  was  completely  de- 
stroyed by  a  heavy  bomb.  Alfred  G.  Yail,  one  of  the 
men  of  the  American  Priends'  Unit,  whom  we  had  placed 
here  as  an  additional  helper,  was  carried  down  four  stories 
with  the  falling  walls  and  floors,  but  was  unhurt.  Two 
others,  fine  English  lads.  Proctor  and  Kitching,  were 
killed.  Mordey  was  imprisoned  under  wreckage  for  some 
hours  but  was  saved  by  a  beam  wedged  across  a  solid  oak 
chest.  The  loss  of  life  would  have  been  heavy  had  not 
Captain  Tatham  sent  most  of  the  men  into  the  large  dug- 
outs. 

"Thanks  to  the  generosity  of  the  American  Red  Cross," 
wrote  Captain  Tatham,  "all  losses  both  of  the  unit  and  of 


174  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

individual  members  were  made  good  by  that  body,  giving 
further  proof  by  this  friendship  in  need  that  they  were 
friends  in  deed." 

When  the  Germans  made  their  great  drive  in  the  spring 
of  1918  at  Armentieres  and  almost  up  to  Hazebrouck, 
hundreds  of  Belgian  and  French  refugees  were  carried 
to  the  rail  heads,  and  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  prop- 
erty were  salvaged. 

Of  all  the  joint  operations  carried  on  by  the  Friends' 
Ambulance  Unit  and  American  Red  Cross,  no  more  grati- 
fying example  of  quick  action  based  on  preparations  long 
made  can  be  found  than  in  the  work  of  October  and  I^o- 
vember,  1918,  in  the  liberated  areas.  The  Germans  had 
retreated,  all  Belgium  west  of  Ghent  was  liberated,  the  un- 
believable had  happened,  the  people  at  last  were  free,  when 
all  at  once  the  Germans  turned  at  bay  on  the  Scheldt  and 
fought  back  with  great  fierceness  so  that  they  might  main- 
tain an  orderly  retreat. 

All  of  this  Belgium  west  of  Ghent  was  badly  isolated 
in  two  ways :  The  retreating  German  Armies  establishing 
new  fighting  lines  on  the  Scheldt  made  it  impossible  for 
the  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium  to  send  food  for  the 
inhabitants  in  that  area  as  they  had  done  throughout  the 
war.  And  likewise  the  destruction  of  roads  and  bridges 
by  the  Germans  as  they  retreated  to  delay  pursuit,  added 
to  the  difiiculty  of  passing  over  the  belt  of  destroyed 
country  where  the  fighting  had  gone  on  for  four  years — 
left  thousands  of  people  for  a  short  time  without  food.  At 
this  time  the  Allied  Armies,  the  Belgian  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  the  Friends  and  the  American  Red  Cross  all 
helped  save  the  day.  The  warehouses  at  Adinkerke  proved 
to  be  the  support  and  stay  in  this  hour  of  need  for  which 
they  had  been  built  months  before.  The  Quaker  boys  drove 
our  heavy  trucks  forward  against  almost  insuperable  ob- 
stacles. 

A  movement  of  civilians  out  of  the  liberated  areas, 
over  the  destroyed  country  to  Ypres,  Poperinghe,  Fumes 


QUAKERS  IN  ACTION  AT  THE  FRONT       175 

and  La  Panne  was  begun.  At  Poperinghe,  especially,  con- 
ditions were  very  bad  and  the  unit  opened  a  hospital 
October  27,  imder  the  American  Red  Cross  doctor,  which 
took  care  of  34  patients  the  first  week.  But  this  move- 
ment down  over  the  almost  impassable  ISTo-Man's-Land  was 
soon  stopped. 

Tragic  things  were  happening  up  in  the  little  villages 
just  liberated  back  of  the  new  front.  The  Germans  shelled 
with  gas  shells  and  there  were  hundreds  of  new  civilian 
casualties.  Pneumonia  and  influenza  broke  out  among 
the  poorly  nourished  people  just  freed.  At  Courtrai,  a 
beautiful  old  Flemish  city  of  some  32,000  people,  the  re- 
lief forces  waged  one  of  the  last  great  battles  of  the  war. 
The  existing  Belgian  hospitals,  overcrowded,  under- 
manned, almost  bare  of  necessary  equipment,  did  w^hat 
they  could.  But  the  Friends  and  the  American  Red  Cross 
together  here  put  a  little  hospital  in  the  Ambulance  du 
Fort,  where  there  had  been  a  military  hospital  of  the 
Germans. 

The  staff  and  equipment  from  the  hospital  at  Haze- 
brouck  had  been  moved  up  to  Tourcoing  October  22.  It 
stayed  there  only  five  days  as  the  French  doctors  could 
cope  with  the  situation  and  when  word  came  of  conditions 
at  Courtrai,  it  was  sent  quickly  to  the  Ambulance  du  Fort. 
Conditions  became  fully  as  tragic  as  in  the  first  months 
of  the  war.  "x\  really  terrible  situation,"  the  sober 
Friends  called  it.  The  civilians  in  this  region,  untrained 
like  their  brethren  back  of  the  Allies,  to  the  ways  of  shell- 
ing, had  run  to  their  cellars  and  lain  there  all  night  in  the 
gas.  The  lorries  brought  load  after  load  of  these  victims 
to  the  little  hospital.  Every  bed  was  filled.  Stretchers  lay 
about  on  the  floor.  Scores  kept  coming,  some  more  lightly 
gassed,  walking  with  pitiable  appeals  for  help.  The  court- 
yard was  crowded  with  relatives  of  the  victims.  Doctor 
Manning,  the  Chief,  got  army  doctors  and  orderlies  to 
help  and  the  Belgian  Sisters  of  Charity  worked  without 
rest.      "Old  men,   women   and  little   children  lay  there 


176  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

tortured,  scorclied,  choking,  their  blinded  eyes  bandaged 
up,  their  lungs  torn  by  the  pitiless  fumes." 

Though  the  deaths  in  ten  days  reached  a  total  of  178, 
many  were  saved  who  would  have  died  without  this  help. 

If  it  be  a  noble  thing  to  put  an  end  to  dreadful  torture, 
and  to  give  people  another  chance  for  life,  then  we  can 
call  this  little  rude  provisional  hospital  in  Courtrai  one 
of  the  noblest  institutions  of  the  war. 

When  the  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit  was  demobilized 
early  in  1919,  we  took  over  William  Mordey  and  some 
thirty  of  his  men  into  the  direct  service  of  the  American 
Red  Cross  to  take  the  supervision  of  our  warehouses  for  the 
destroyed  areas  of  Belgium.  When  the  Commission  to 
Belgium  closed  its  work  April  15,  1919,  these  men  re- 
mained for  another  year  of  service  of  reconstruction  under 
direction  of  our  Paris  office. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
Dr.  Park's  Great  Experiment 

WOODS  HUTCHIKSOI^  says  in  "The  Doctor  in 
War"  that  war  is  full  of  contradictions,  that  while 
waged  solely  between  armed  men,  its  heaviest  slaughter 
has  always  been  among  women  and  children,  and  that 
while  it  aims  at  the  destruction  of  enemy  life  by  its  own 
legitimate  and  special  weapons,  it  actually  destroys  and 
loses  five  times  as  many  soldiers  by  disease  as  in  battle, 
that  while  the  soldier  who  enlists  thinks  of  getting  killed 
by  shot  or  shell,  until  this  war  he  stood  in  far  greater 
danger  of  dying  from  typhoid  or  summer  cholera  or 
pneumonia. 

All  this  is  familiar  reading  to  those  who  have  paid  any 
attention  to  such  important  phases  of  the  history  of  the 
World  War.  The  doctor  as  well  as  the  surgeon  will  be 
given  high  honor  in  the  public  mind  when  we  begin  to 
measure  his  work  in  terms  of  the  dear  friends  we  still 
have  about  us  who  in  any  other  war  would  have  been  sac- 
rificed. 

"By  wiping  out  epidemics,"  said  Dr.  Hutchinson,  "the 
doctor  has  actually  kept  the  death  rate  among  the  civil 
populations  of  the  Allied  countries  as  low  as,  and  in  some 
cases  lower  than  it  was  before  the  war.  By  redoubling 
the  care  and  protection  of  young  children  almost  as  many 
additional  young  lives  have  been  saved  as  adult  ones  have 
been  lost  on  the  field  of  battle." 

The  American  Red  Cross  in  France  and  in  Free  Bel- 
gium, and  the  doctors  of  the  Hoover  Commission  in  Occu- 
pied Belgium  and  France,  set  before  themselves  first  of  all 
to    save    as    many    little    lives    as    they    possibly    could, 

177 


178  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

but  secondly,  in  so  doing,  to  arouse  tbat  general  interest  in 
the  process  which  if  once  aroused  stops  the  dreadful  waste 
of  a  nation's  most  valuable  and  precious  asset. 

That  is  what  Dr.  W.  P.  Lucas  and  Dr.  J.  H.  Mason 
Knox  did  for  the  Commission  to  France  of  the  American 
Red  Cross,  and  Dr.  Knox,  Dr.  Park  and  Dr.  Ramsey  did 
for  the  Commission  to  Belgium. 

We  were  lucky  enough  to  have  Dr.  Knox  assigned  to  us 
as  Chief  Medical  Advisor  and  he  at  once  secured  Dr.  Park 
as  the  man  to  do  our  job. 

Dr.  Park,  now  Professor  of  Pediatrics  at  the  Yale  Uni- 
versity Medical  School,  was  at  that  time  an  Assistant 
Professor  of  the  John  Hopkins  University  Medical  School 
at  Baltimore. 

We  concentrated  medical  work  in  France  at  Le  Havre 
and  Rouen,  first,  because  thousands  of  Belgians  crowded 
those  cities;  second,  because  our  headquarters  and  the 
headquarters  of  the  Belgian  Government  were  at  Le  Havre, 
and  third,  because  the  Commission  in  France  had  more 
than  it  could  do  and  wanted  us  to  take  over  the  work  for 
French  as  well  as  Belgians  in  these  important  cities. 

Napoleon  called  Le  Havre  and  Rouen  "one  great  city 
of  which  the  Seine  is  the  main  street." 

It  is  no  reflection  on  the  French  authorities  to  say  that 
in  the  fall  of  1917,  we  found  conditions  dreadful  among 
the  Belgian  refugees  in  Le  Havre  and  especially  among 
mothers  and  babies.  All  French  civilian  agencies  were 
undermanned  and  overworked.  !Nor  was  the  disease  and 
death  incident  to  overcrowding  and  other  hardships  lim- 
ited to  the  Belgians.  French  babies  of  whom  they  could 
ill  spare  one,  were  dying  fast.  We  proposed  a  Children's 
Health  Center  to  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  M.  Berryer. 
Catholic  though  he  was,  keenly  aware  of  how  jealously 
some  of  his  associates  insisted  on  "hands  off  the  chil- 
dren," M.  Berryer  put  first  and  foremost  the  saving  of 
the  lives  that  were  being  sacrificed.  At  the  same  time, 
he  pointed  out  clearly  the  steps  to  be  taken  to  carry  along 


DR.   PARKS  GREAT   EXPERIMENT  179 

with  us  all  varieties  of  Belgian  public  sentiment  and  to 
make  sure  that  the  mothers  would  use  our  health  center 
if  we  got  it.  lie  wished  also  that  the  French  should  have 
the  right  to  use  the  center  on  equal  terms  with  the  Bel- 
gians, saying  that  "The  most  we  can  do  is  little  enough  to 
repay  what  the  French  have  done  for  us." 

It  looked  for  a  time  as  if  inability  to  find  a  place  in 
which  to  house  the  project  would  prevent  fulfillment  of 
the  plans.  Nothing  less  than  the  power  of  a  Cabinet  ofii- 
cer  would  have  accomplished  it.  The  only  place  available 
was  the  Salle  Franl-lin  or  Hall  Franklin,  a  brick  build- 
ing 110  feet  long,  58  feet  wide  and  3  stories  high,  situ- 
ated on  a  small  park  in  a  very  crowded  part  of  Le  Havre. 
It  was  occupied  by  a  group  of  devoted  patriotic  French 
ladies  who  were  running  a  French  military  hospital,  not 
needed  at  the  time,  but  who  were  so  interested  in  it  that 
they  could  not  see  the  larger  need  of  the  babies.  It  was 
hard  on  them  but  a  word  to  the  French  Government  was 
enough.  Repairs  were  made,  the  building  painted  and 
cleaned  throughout.  Dr.  Park  and  Miss  Wilcox,  an  Ameri- 
can nurse  from  Hawaii,  arrived  January  15.  They  got  a 
Belgian  nurse  speaking  French,  Flemish  and  English 
March  29  and  began  house  to  house  visiting.  They  moved 
into  the  Salle  FranJclin  April  12. 

It  was  an  Allied  undertaking.  Under  Belgian  doctors 
and  nurses  exclusively  there  were : 

1.  A  maternity  hospital  and  a  maternity  consultation. 
Up  to  December  31,  1918,  224  births  took  place  in  the 
institution.     Instruction  in  home  care  was  given. 

2.  La  Poiqjonniere  as  the  Belgians  called  it — a  tem- 
porary shelter  for  little  children  up  to  four  years  of  age 
whose  mothers  were  working  or  in  hospital  or  in  other 
ways  too  disabled  to  care  for  the  children.  Especially  was 
it  a  great  service  and  joy  to  mothers  awaiting  confinement 
under  the  same  roof.  It  had  from  20  to  35  inmates  per 
month. 

Under  Dr.  Park  there  were  carried  on: 


180  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

1.  Beginning  April  12,  1918,  a  dispensary  to  which 
mothers  brought  sick  babies  and  young  children. 

2.  Beginning  August  10,  1918,  a  campaign  against 
infant  mortality  in  the  thickly  populated  section  of  Le 
Havre  known  as  the  Quartier  St.  Frangois. 

3.  Opening  on  September  28,  1918,  a  barrack  hospital 
of  20  beds  for  children. 

4.  The  taking  over  of  infant  consultations  run  by  the 
French  in  four  different  quarters  of  the  city  in  the  fall 
of  1918. 

5.  A  consultation  for  normal  infants. 

6.  A  training  school  for  nurses'  aids. 

A  thing  which  struck  both  French  and  Belgians  and 
which  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  spoke  of  in  his  final 
report  was  the  organization  of  the  work  so  that  poor 
mothers  and  babies  did  not  have  to  wait  long  hours  to 
receive  attention  as  is  often  the  case  on  the  Continent  but 
had  each  a  definite  time  assigned. 

Another  thing  the  Minister  said  was :  "The  devotion  of 
the  American  staff  was  greatly  appreciated  by  the  working 
people  both  French  and  Belgian,  who  have  come  to  see  in 
America,  more  and  more,  a  kind  and  generous  nation — 
the  protector  of  the  unfortunate." 

Scientific,  accurate,  precise,  careful  to  a  degree  though 
he  is,  nobody  could  enter  an  institution  run  by  Dr.  Park 
without  feeling  a  deep  genuine  and  all  pervading  human 
sympathy.  The  humblest,  saddest  person  felt  this  at  the 
Salle  Franklin. 

Though  the  French  and  Belgians  had  given  food  to 
expectant  mothers  and  mother  and  babies,  they  now  were 
to  see  food  prescribed  like  medicine ;  and  where  prescrip- 
tions could  not  be  filled,  the  American  Red  Cross  stepped 
in  and  did  it.  Most  baby  ills  like  most  adult  ills  are  ills 
of  feeding.  Dr.  Rowland  G.  Freeman,  of  New  York, 
former  President  of  the  American  Pediatric  Association, 
said  one  day,  "ISTature  made  us  nearly  automatic.  Breath- 
ing is  automatic.     The  heart  is  automatic.     She  left  one 


ca 
a, 

u 


c 


o 


J3 

'  c 

PQ 

o 


U 


c 


s 
<: 


DR.  PARK'S  GREAT  EXPERIMENT  181 

job  to  us — feeding,  and  we  bungle  tbat  terribly."  If  we 
sin  against  the  light  practically  every  day  of  our  lives  in 
the  rich  United  States,  what  about  the  chances  of  right 
feeding  for  a  mother  in  the  slums  of  Le  Havre,  in  the 
fourth  year  of  the  war  and  with  most  foods  substitutes. 

Dr.  Park  disseminated  an  entirely  new  idea  to  many 
of  these  people  that  food  is  medicine,  or  that  all  the  medi- 
cine needed  is  food,  in  most  cases,  of  the  correct  kinds  and 
in  correct  quantities  and  at  the  right  times. 

On  his  staff.  Dr.  Park  had  a  social  service  visitor  to 
follow  up  cases  in  their  homes,  seeing  what  the  best  hos- 
pitals everywhere  are  coming  to  see,  that  there  is  no  use 
to  order  something  done  at  a  consultation,  if  the  effect  of 
it  is  to  be  completely  neutralized  by  something  undis- 
closed in  the  home. 

These  visitors  of  the  Salic  Franklin  secured  the  re- 
moval of  families  to  better  quarters,  made  it  possible  to 
send  children  sometimes  into  the  country,  and  saw  to  it 
that  the  mothers  followed  instructions  about  feeding. 
Their  work  led  gradually  to  the  forming  of  a  French 
committee  made  up  of  various  social  agencies  to  work  to- 
gether for  the  rehabilitation  of  families,  victims  in  one 
way  or  another  of  the  war. 

There  were  two  outgrowths  of  the  work  which  were  more 
important  even  than  the  great  work  actually  done  at  the 
time.  Both  mean  saving  many  lives.  The  first  is  the. 
detailed  report  of  Dr.  Park.  The  report  as  a  whole  was 
never  published.  A  description  of  the  dispensary  wag 
published  in  Archives  de  medicine  des  Enfants,  1919, 
XXII,  Xo.  8,  p.  393  and  in  another  article  in  the  Modem 
Hospital,  August,  1919,  III,  Xo.  2.  A  report  of  a  certain 
phase  of  the  work  was  published  at  the  expense  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  in  a  pamphlet  form  in  French. 

The  second  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  French  took  over 
the  work  and  now  are  carrying  it  on.  There  were  local 
jealousies  and  divisions  on  the  way.  There  was  lack  of 
money.     But  the  Salle  Franklin  had  so  demonstrated  it- 


182  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

self  tliat  general  interest  was  aroused  in  Le  Havre. 
French  doctors  who  had  proclaimed  the  message  of  hahy- 
saving  for  years  with  no  result,  suddenly  found  them- 
selves in  a  movement  which  was  popular. 

Dr.  Park  worked  cautiously,  with  untiring  patience, 
and  at  last  presented  to  the  Commissioner  his  plan.  It 
was  to  close  February  10,  1919,  to  turn  over  the  barrack 
hospital  and  equij)ment  to  the  Belgians  to  be  transported 
to  Belgium,  to  turn  over  all  other  work  to  the  French,  to 
pay  all  bills  and  leave  two  American  doctors  to  help  until 
May  1,  1919,  during  what  was  called  a  "transition  period" 
— and  on  May  1,  1919,  to  put  the  whole  burden  on  a 
new  French  organization,  partly  municipal  and  partly 
private,  called  U  Union  des  Oeuvres  de  L'Enfance  du 
Havre,  leaving  at  that  time  a  subsidy  of  25,000  francs,  a 
trained  nurse  and  a  trained  social  worker. 

In  all.  Dr.  Park  and  his  staff  saw  8,426  old  patients, 
2,520  new  patients,  made  2,T50  house  visits,  vaccinated 
1,463  cases  for  smallpox,  took  in  195  hospital  patients, 
making  in  all  15,354  helpful  human  contacts  with  patients 
alone. 

The  American  Red  Cross  gave  a  total  of  403,436.07 
francs  in  cash  and  supplies  for  this  work.  Dr.  Park 
was  decorated. 

Better  than  most  decorations  though  are  these  words 
of  Dr.  Gilbert,  the  great  French  public  health  leader  of 
Le  Havre  to  Dr.  Park : 

"By  your  enterprising  spirit,  your  method  and  your 
deep  faith  in  the  good  to  be  done,  you  have  created  an 
institution  which,  I  can  assure  you,  will  survive  your 
departure  from  Le  Havre.  The  idea  of  this  w^ork,  which 
has  long  been  in  the  minds  of  the  physicians,  the  public 
health  workers  and  the  philanthropists  of  Le  Llavre,  has 
hitherto,  for  lack  of  cooperation,  of  funds  and  of  suj)port 
from  the  authorities,  failed  of  realization. 

"You,  a  foreigner,  with  the  powerful  American  Red 
Cross  behind  you,  overcame  the  first  obstacles,  and  al- 


DR.  PARK'S  GREAT   EXPERIMENT  183 

though  in  the  beginning  somewhat  skeptical,  we  soon 
joined  you  enthusiastically  in  the  project  which  assured 
the  fulfillment  of  all  our  wishes.  Of  this,  the  essential 
points  are  the  permanent  estal)lishment  at  the  dispensary 
of  detailed,  careful  and  repeated  examinations  to  be  sup- 
plemented with  house  visits  by  your  public  health  nurses, 
who  enter  firmly,  but  tactfully,  the  very  heart  of  the  city's 
misery,  the  Quartier  St.  Frwngois,  which  has  been  until 
now  an  unexplored  field  of  the  charitable  organizations 
of  Le  Havre.  You  have  succeeded  completely  and  in  a 
very  short  time,  in  spite  of  the  considerable  difficulties 
which  were  bound  to  obstruct  your  path  as  they  had  ours. 
We  have  your  example  before  us.  And  like  you,  we  are 
determined  no  longer  to  be  checked  in  our  work  and  in 
our  progress." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

Against  Tuberculosis 

TIIROUGPI  tliree  agencies  the  American  Red  Cross 
helped  the  Belgians  deal  with  the  great  scourge  tu- 
berculosis— the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  for  refugee  civil- 
ians, the  Surgeon  General  of  the  Army,  for  soldiers  and 
the  Queen  for  the"  liberated  regions. 

The  Belgians  did  not  have  to  be  urged  to  take  meas- 
ures against  tuberculosis.  They  were  fully  alive  to  recent 
discoveries  in  the  fight  against  this  plagTie  and  to  the 
possibility  of  doing  away  with  it  altogether.  The  thing 
was  constantly  on  their  minds  and  often  came  up  in  con- 
versation at  Le  Havre — not  so  much  because  of  the  rav- 
ages of  the  disease  in  the  trenches,  for  that  was  less  than 
reported,  or  even  because  of  the  real  menace  from  it  among 
refugees,  but  because  they  were  always  thinking  of  the 
seven  and  a  half  million  people  in  Occupied  Belgium 
and  they  knew  that  underfeeding  and  worry  and  fear  and 
an  abnormal  life  generally  were  bound  to  show  in  a  spread 
of  this  disease. 

Moreover,  the  government  at  Le  Havre  was  profoundly 
impressed  by  the  work  done  by  Dr.  Livingston  Farrand 
and  his  Rockefeller  Foundation  Commission  for  the  Pre- 
vention of  Turberculosis  in  France  and  by  the  work  of 
the  Tuberculosis  Bureau  of  the  American  Red  Cross  for 
France  cooperating  with  it.  It  was  a  striking  demonstra- 
tion of  what  could  be  done  by  modern  methods.  We  did 
not  attempt  to  form  a  Tuberculosis  Bureau  but  we  speed- 
ily found  out  what  the  government  was  doing. 

The  Minister  of  the  Interior  had  bought  a  chateau  with 
surrounding  farms  at  Chanay  in  the  Auvergne,  France, 

184 


AGAINST  TUBERCULOSIS  185 

and  established  there  a  sanatoriimi  of  75  beds  and  a  hos- 
pital of  20  beds.  This  institution  was  on  high  ground  in 
the  Jura  mountains  overlooking  the  lovely  Khone  valley. 
ISTowhere  in  Belgium  itself,  not  even  in  the  Ardennes  coun- 
try could  such  a  place  be  found.  To  this  place,  the  Minis- 
ter sent  the  poor  unfortunates  among  Belgian  refugees 
stricken  with  the  disease,  accomplishing  two  things:  pro- 
tection of  the  family  and  neighbors  against  contagion  and 
giving  the  victim  himself  a  chance  for  life.  We  found 
the  sanatorium  overtaxed  and  many  people  waiting  for  a 
chance  to  go.  At  the  request  of  the  Minister  we  bought 
the  Chateau  of  Job  near  Vichy  for  an  auxiliary  sana- 
torium providing  150  additional  beds,  paying  150,000 
francs  for  a  property  which  originally  had  cost  a  million 
francs.  After  the  armistice  the  government  decided  to 
keep  both  of  these  institutions  as  government  sanatoria. 
Wise  management  made  this  possible.  Enough  land  was 
sold  off  around  Chanay  to  pay  both  the  original  cost  of  the 
property,  178,000  francs,  and  furnishings  and  alterations 
costing  200,000  francs  more. 

The  tuberculosis  experts  of  the  Commission  to  France  of 
the  Red  Cross  called  our  attention  to  the  condition  of  the 
Belgian  military  hospital  for  tubercular  soldiers  at  Mont- 
pellier  in  France.  The  water  supply  was  inadequate, 
bathing  facilities  were  practically  nonexistent,  there  were 
360  patients  and  sixty  more  expected.  Early  in  Septem- 
ber of  1918  we  gave  63,500  francs  to  put  through  a  new 
installation  for  water  supply  and  baths.  We  increased  this 
to  80,500  francs  when  it  was  found  inadequate,  but  the 
war  moved  faster  than  the  Surgeon  General  q^nd  nothing 
was  done  before  the  armistice.  Early  in  January,  1919, 
the  Commissioner  authorized  the  spending  of  this  money 
for  a  tuberculosis  sanatorium  in  connection  with  the  camp 
of  Beverloo  in  Belgium. 

In  Brussels,  on  August  1,  1918,  a  preliminary  meet- 
ing had  been  held  to  organize  a  "ISTational  Cooperative 
Society  against  Tuberculosis,"  and  on  October  17,  the  per- 


186  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

manent  organization  was  formed.  This  was  brought  about 
by  the  Belgian  ISTational  Committee  under  M.  Emile 
Francqui  which  had  done  the  work  of  feeding  Belgium  in 
cooperation  with  Mr.  Hoover's  Commission  for  Belief  in 
Belgium.  The  Belgian  Xational  Committee  had  taken  the 
task  of  keeping  the  Belgian  population  alive  and  vigorous. 
All  their  work  they  found  endangered  by  the  rapid  spread 
of  tuberculosis.  As  M.  Ernest  Solvay  said,  "JSTot  only  has 
the  number  of  deaths  due  to  tuberculosis  doubled  in  cer- 
tain regions,  but  the  cases  of  pre-tuberculosis  are  becoming 
legion." 

The  ISTational  Committee  tried  to  deal  with  the  situation 
by  subsidizing  the  already  existing  "National  Belgian 
League  against  Tuberculosis."  As  Mr.  Francqui  said: 
"The  I^ational  Committee  enabled  the  League  to  increase 
its  dispensaries  from  25  to  100.  In  1914  they  had  5,000 
patients.  In  1918,  50,000.  Before  the  ISTational  Com- 
mittee intervened  the  budget  did  not  come  up  to  100,000 
francs.  It  is  now  well  over  10,000,000  francs."  The  new 
project  united  all  parties  and  all  existing  organizations 
in  one  great  cooperative  movement  and  started  off  with 
subscriptions  of  between  eight  and  nine  million  francs. 

At  about  the  same  time  on  the  other  side  of  the  fighting 
lines  in  Free  Belgium,  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen,  had  pre- 
sented the  matter  to  us.  She  could  not  know  precisely 
what  was  happening  in  Brussels  but  she  kept  reasonably 
well  informed.  She  did  know  that  tuberculosis  was  one 
of  the  great  dangers  to  her  country — doubly  so  because  of 
the  hardships  of  war.  We  took  no  definite  action  until  we 
reached  Brussels,  when  at  the  suggestion  of  Her  Majesty 
we  had  a  conference  with  Dr.  Bordet,  director  of  the 
Pasteur  Institute  of  Brabant,  the  great  Belgian  scientist 
who  since  the  armistice  has  been  given  the  ]STobel  prize. 
We  got  detailed  figures  and  charts  from  him  showing  two 
striking  things:  first,  that  tuberculosis  had  doubled  and 
trebled  in  the  greater  part  of  Belgium,  and  second,  that 
the  death  rate  for  children  from  zero  to  one  year  had  gone 


AGAINST  TUBERCULOSIS  187 

down  during  the  war  owing  to  the  activity  of  baby  saving 
organizations  and  "canteens  maternal"  which  gave  aid  on 
condition  that  mothers  would  nurse  their  own  babies. 

The  Belgian  Government  was  very  anxious  to  get  Dr. 
Farrand  to  Brussels  in  the  hope  that  he  could  undertake 
for  Belgium  what  he  had  done  so  successfully  for  France. 
This  was  impossible  as  the  work  of  the  Kockefeller  Foun- 
dation for  France,  while  a  war  relief  measure,  was  also 
considered  a  demonstration  for  others  to  follow  if  they 
would,  while  the  Foundation  went  on  to  do  other  things. 

Dr.  Farrand,  now  the  President  of  Cornell  University, 
had  just  agreed  to  take  the  chairmanship  of  the  Central 
Committee  of  the  American  Ked  Cross  and  could  not  give 
himself  to  one  country  as  he  had  to  France  during  the 
war.  We,  therefore,  made  an  appropriation  to  her 
Majesty,  the  Queen,  of  1,250,000  francs  to  use  in  this  fight 
asking  her  to  choose  the  agency  but  stipulating  that  the 
principles  laid  down  by  the  Rockefeller  Foundation  for 
such  a  campaign  should  be  followed  as  far  as  possible. 

(1)  Educational  propaganda. 

(2)  Dispensaries  as  centers  of  diagnosis  and  for 
proper  distribution  of  cases.  Examination  of  all  children 
exposed.     Treatment  of  pre-disposed. 

(3)  Visiting  nurses,  including  training  in  one  year 
course  of  girls  of  the  country. 

(4)  Hospital  for  advanced  cases  to  prevent  infection. 

(5)  Sanitoria  for  favorable  cases. 

(6)  Other  institutions  for  bone  and  joint  cases. 

Eventually  the  Queen  chose  the  new  cooperative  so- 
ciety organized  by  the  ISTational  Committee  as  the  agency 
to  use  this  appropriation. 

Finally,  we  supplied  one  thousand  beds  with  mattresses, 
sheets,  pillows  and  blankets,  secured  from  American  Army 
hospitals  which  were  closing,  and  put  them  in  a  large 
sanatorium  in  Belgium  under  the  Minister  of  Justice  for 
returned  tubercular  prisoners. 

The  last  official  trip  of  the  Commissioner  to  Belgium 


188  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

was  to  Cannes,  France,  tlie  first  week  in  April,  1919,  to 
attend  the  medical  conference  of  the  Committee  of  Red 
Cross  Societies,  which  grew  into  the  League  of  Red  Cross 
Societies. 

The  conclusion  reached  hy  this  conference  was  that  it 
was  "a  natural  and  most  desirable  evolution  of  the  Red 
Cross  to  extend  its  functions  of  relief  during  war  to  that 
of  promoting  public  health  during  peace."  This  view 
was  concurred  in  by  the  delegates  of  all  the  countries  rep- 
resented, American,  British,  Italian,  French  and  Japa- 
nese. Sections  were  organized  on  Preventive  Medicine, 
Tuberculosis,  Malaria,  Venereal  Diseases,  ^Nursing  and 
Publications.  On  tuberculosis  a  report  was  adopted, 
drafted  by  Dr.  Calmette  of  France  and  of  which  Dr. 
Biggs  said :  "I  regard  it  as  a  concise  summary  of  all  the 
accumulated  experience  on  tuberculosis."  This  report  is 
as  follows : 

EEPOET  ADOPTED  AND  PRESENTED  TO  THE  CONFEEENCE  BY 
THE  SECTION  ON  TUBEKCULOSIS 

"Recognizing  the  wide  prevalence  of  tuberculosis,  its 
incidence  at  all  ages,  and  its  importance  as  a  cause  of  ex- 
cessive mortality,  disability,  distress  and  economic  laws, 
we  recommend  that  special  attention  be  given  to  the  fight 
against  this  disease  in  the  plan  of  an  organization  having 
in  view  common  action  on  the  part  of  Red  Cross  Societies. 

We  believe  that  in  any  organized  campaign  against  tu- 
berculosis the  following  factors  are  fundamental  and  in- 
dispensable : 

1.  Dispensaries  on  an  adequate  scale,  furnished  with 
laboratories  and  appropriate  equipment  and  affording  pro- 
vision for  early  diagnosis,  including  the  examination  of 
contacts  by  expert  physicians ;  and  with  especially  trained 
visiting  nurses,  who  will  carry  into  the  homes  of  patients 
the  necessary  care,  instruction  and  advice,  who  will  espe- 
cially consider  the  needs  of  children,  and  who  will  direct 
the  patient  to  appropriate  agencies  for  this  purpose. 


AGAINST  TUBERCULOSIS  189 

2.  Provision  for  the  careful,  regular  inspection  of 
school  children  with  a  view  to  the  early  detection  of  tuber- 
culosis. 

3.  Hospital  treatment,  on  an  adequate  scale,  of  acute, 
advanced  and  hopeless  cases  of  tuberculosis,  separated 
from  other  cases  not  infected  with  tuberculosis. 

4.  Sanatorium  facilities  for  all  suitable  cases  of  tu- 
berculosis. 

5.  Continuous  popular  education  regarding  tuberculo- 
sis, its  causes  and  prevention,  by  all  suitable  means  and 
agencies. 

It  is  evident  that  tuberculosis  is  inextricably  associated 
with  the  general  living  and  working  conditions  of  the 
people;  and  we  therefore  recommend  the  encouragement 
of  all  legitimate  efforts  directed  toward  the  improvement 
of  these  conditions.  We  regard  as  of  particular  importance 
in  this  connection  the  care  of  children  and  the  problems 
of  housing,  of  cleaning,  of  nutrition  and  of  alcoholism. 

We  recommend  the  institution  of  appropriate  meas- 
ures to  prevent  the  transmission  of  tuberculosis  through 
infected  milk. 

We  approve  the  establishment  of  open  air  schools  for 
accommodation  of  children  already  infected  by,  or  sus- 
pected of,  tuberculosis;  and  measures  should  be  taken  to 
protect  children  against  contagion  in  the  household,  by 
placing  them  with  healthy  families  in  the  country  or  in 
special  asylums  when  it  is  not  practicable  to  remove  the 
infected  patient  from  his  family. 

We  call  attention  to  the  importance  of  the  extension  of 
the  open  air  principle  to  all  institutions  and  places  where 
many  individuals  are  housed  together,  such  as  barracks, 
orphanages,  workhouses,  penitentiaries,  and  the  like. 

Experience  has  shown  us  the  importance  of  care- 
ful supervision  of  the  tuberculosis  patient  during  the  en- 
tire period  of  his  illness.  We  therefore  urge  the  need 
for  close  cooperation  between  the  several  institutional  fac- 
tors   (dispensaries,    hosjDitals,    sanatoria,    etc.),    and   the 


190  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

more  extended  development  of  skilled  social  service  under 
medical  direction. 

We  think  that  attention  should  be  drawn  to  the 
great  risk  to  which  tuberculosis  patients  are  exposed 
through  the  exploitation  of  alleged  cures  without  scientific 
authority. 

Inasmuch  as  a  problem  of  particular  difficulty  is 
that  of  providing  suitable  occupations  for  those  patients 
with  tuberculosis,  able  to  perform  a  certain  amount  of 
work  under  favorable  conditions,  we  recommend  the  en- 
couragement of  efforts  for  the  establishment  of  agricul- 
tural colonies  and  the  organization  of  suitable  indus- 
tries which  should  be  linked  with  the  dispensaries  and 
sanatoria  under  medical  supervision. 

Eecognizing  that  accurate  knowledge  of  the  distribution 
of  tuberculosis  is  an  essential  preliminary  to  its  control 
by  public  authorities  in  any  community,  we  approve  the 
principle  of  compulsory  notification  of  tuberculosis  to  the 
health  authorities  under  appropriate  regulations. 

We  call  special  attention  to  the  capital  importance  of 
scientific  research  in  the  field  of  tuberculosis  and  the  col- 
lection of  information  as  to  all  factors  bearing  upon  the 
prevalence  and  distribution  of  the  disease." 

The  Commission  took  this  report  to  Belgium  for  Her 
Majesty  and  her  advisors  with  a  suggestion  that  it  would 
bankrupt  Belgium  to  attempt  to  build  sanatoria  and  hos- 
pitals for  all  the  cases  needing  treatment  and  that  an 
effective  campaign  could  be  waged  along  these  other  lines. 
The  Belgians,  because  they  were  up  to  date  in  these  mat- 
ters, welcomed  suggestions  of  this  kind.  At  the  same  time 
with  Her  Majesty,  General  Melis,  Dr.  Depage  and  others, 
we  took  up  the  question  of  participation  by  the  Belgian 
Red  Cross  Society  in  the  great  campaign  for  public  health 
launched  at  Cannes  bv  the  League  of  Bed  Cross  Societies. 

There  was  a  long  controversy  between  those  who  would 
hold  the  Bed  Cross  strictly  to  "work  for  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  in  time  of  war"  and  those  Avho  wanted  Belgium 


AGAINST  TUBERCULOSIS  191 

to  take  lier  place  with  tlie  other  great  Ked  Cross  Societies 
of  the  world.  The  decision  of  little  Belgium  was  for  the 
big  preventive  constructive  program.  Dr.  Depage  now  rep- 
resents Belgium  in  the  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

For  tlie  Mutiles 

THE  war  both  destroyed  lives  and  completely  altered 
lives.  It  hurled  men  up  and  down  the  social  scale. 
It  made  all  kinds  of  cataclysmic  changes,  but  no  changes 
were  greater  than  where  well,  normal  men,  who  could 
see,  who  could  walk,  who  could  use  their  arms,  suddenly 
lost  members  on  which  their  old  ways  of  life  absolutely 
depended.  The  mechanic  lost  his  arm  or  fingers,  the 
plowman  a  foot  and  often  both,  some  lost  limbs  at  the 
ankle,  others  at  the  knee,  others  at  the  hip.  Once  in  a 
while  a  man  lost  legs,  arms  and  eyes  and  still  lived  on  for 
a  time,  but  nature  is  merciful  and  ordains  that  a  torso 
in  such  a  condition  is  not  apt  to  stand  the  shock.  Some 
lost  their  faces  and  refused  to  let  their  family  see  the  horri- 
ble result.  All  these  form  the  great  company  of  the 
mutilated  or  mutiles  as  they  are  known  in  Belgium  and 
France. 

In  the  midst  of  the  sadness  of  it,  the  pain  and  the 
tragedy  of  it,  this  shining  fact  emerges,  that  the  people  of 
this  world,  war-ridden,  suspicious,  jealous,  hateful  to  one 
another,  still  have  reached  a  stage  of  development  when 
every  civilized  nation  declares  that  these  mutilated  are 
not  waste  human  products  but  potential  assets,  and  that 
they  must  be  made  real  assets. 

It  wasn't  so  many  years  ago  that  the  mutilated  in  war 
sat  down  and  sold  shoe  strings  or  lived  out  helpless,  hope- 
less, unhappy  lives,  with  their  families  or  in  institutions. 

]^ow  the  schools  for  the  reeducation  of  the  mutilated 
transform  these  hopeless  cripples  into  useful  creative  lives 

192 


FOR  THE  MUTILES  193 

and  even  blaze  the  trail  for  other  schools  where  men  are  not 
crippled. 

The  Belgians  started  more  quickly  than  anybody  else 
connected  with  the  World  War  to  deal  scientifically  with 
the  mutilated. 

They  declared  that  no  mutilated  man  should  be  dis- 
charged from  the  army,  even  if  it  was  clear  that  he 
would  never  serve  again,  but  should  stay  in  uniform  and 
under  orders  until  he  was  both  healed  and  trained. 

There  w^as  some  conflict  in  the  beginning  between  the 
surgeons  and  the  educators,  one  asserting  that  the  prob- 
lem at  root  was  m.edical  and  surgical  and  that  the  train- 
ing should  begin  while  the  man  was  still  on  his  cot  or 
limping  about  the  hospital.  The  other  just  as  vehemently 
declared  that  only  men  who  knew  education  could  work 
out  a  scheme  of  education  for  men  whether  they  were 
whole  men  or  mutilated  men. 

Compromises  were  made,  and  in  the  first  year  of  the 
war  the  Belgians  organized  the  institution  which  set  the 
example  to  both  Europe  and  America,  at  Le  Havre,  at 
Rouen,  at  Mortain  and  at  Port  Villez,  the  two  latter  soon 
being  combined  at  Port  Villez,  some  forty  miles  down  the 
Seine  from  Paris. 

When  the  United  States  went  into  the  war,  our  War 
Department  had  translated  the  report  of  the  first  year  at 
these  institutions  by  Leon  de  Paeuw,  first  issued  in  France 
in  1916,  and  retranslated  and  republished  by  Princeton 
University  under  the  title  "The  Vocational  Reeducation 
of  Maimed  Soldiers"  with  a  preface  by  Madame  Henry 
Carton  de  Wiart. 

The  claims  of  this  work  are  fully  justified :  "that  Bel- 
gium despite  its  devastated  and  crippled  condition  was  the 
first  nation  to  establish  an  efiicient  system  of  caring  for 
her  disabled  soldiers,"  and  that  this  system  of  vocational 
education  did  three  things — restored  to  a  maimed  man 
his  confidence  in  himself  and  "zest  for  life,"  his  activity 
and  his  usefulness. 


194  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

The  mental  and  moral  factors  were  fully  as  great  as  the 
physical.  The  changes  for  most  men  were  so  sudden  and 
so  paralyzing  in  their  completeness  that  for  a  time  they 
were  overwhelmed. 

In  the  trenches  they  had  said,  ^'I'm  willing  to  go  if  I 
have  to,  hut  I  don't  want  to  be  made  helpless,"  and  behold 
they  were  blind  or  without  arms  or  legs  or  paralyzed 
from  the  hips  down. 

The  Belgians  had  one  advantage  in  being  exiles.  The 
wounded  men  could  not  be  sent  to  their  families,  for  their 
families  were  behind  the  German  lines.  There  was  not 
the  resistance  of  short-sighted  men  and  short-sighted  rela- 
tives to  treatment  and  training  which  was  such  an  obsta- 
cle with  the  French. 

At  Ste.  Adresse  we  found  the  Minister  Helleputte  car- 
rying on  the  w^ork  at  the  Depot  des  Invalides,  begun  by 
his  brother-in-law,  the  Minister  Schollaert,  who  had  died 
suddenly  the  year  before.  Both  of  these  ministers  had 
great  human  sympathy  and  cheered  the  men  by  frequent 
visits  and  genuine  interest.  Through  their  influence  the 
government  furnished  this  private  school  with  subsidies 
and  with  raw  material  and  with  an  officer  to  exercise  mili- 
tary control.  The  men  sold  many  toys  and  plaster  work, 
baskets  and  shoes. 

We  gave  the  school  the  sum  of  50,000  francs  in  the 
summer  of  1918  for  a  new  building,  but  upon  the  change 
in  the  military  situation  we  held  up  work  on  the  building. 
When  the  armistice  came  we  doubled  the  appropriation 
and  directed  it  to  moving  the  school  back  to  Louvain, 
where  it  became  a  part  of  the  University  of  Louvain. 

We  found  Port  Villez  an  inspiring  sight.  Twelve  or 
fourteen  hundred  men  were  being  recreated. 

Speaking  of  Port  Villez — Madame  Henry  Carton  de 
Wiart  quoted  Emerson — "The  only  mortal  malady  is  inca- 
pacity to  improve." 

Here  we  found  some  men,  prevented  from  following  an 
old  vocation  they  had  entered  by  chance,  discovering  their 


FOR  THE  MUTILES  195 

real  bent  and  making  an  even  greater  success  than  they 
had  before  they  were  wounded.  One  man  who  had  been 
a  common  laborer  showed  positive  genius  at  artistic  letter- 
ing- 

xill  kinds  of  startling  changes  took  place:  A  circus 
clown  became  a  decorative  painter;  a  street  paver  became 
a  pastry  cook,  excelling  in  puff  paste  and  frangipane;  a 
shepherd  who  had  lost  a  leg  became  a  harness  maker. 

The  man  who  had  just  arrived  was  examined  by  the 
surgical  staff  to  see  what  was  physically  possible,  by  the 
school  staff  to  see  what  was  mentally  possible  and  was 
then  taken  slowly  about  and  allowed  to  see  forty-eight 
trades  in  operation  and  his  old  comrades  happily  at  work 
at  them.  This  helped  him  to  a  choice  and  supplied  the 
moral  stimulus. 

There  was  everything  from  expert  accounting  to  black- 
smithing.  In  the  carpenter  shop,  he  saw  men  making 
doors  and  window  frames,  benches,  desks,  chests,  cup- 
boards, and  men  not  strong  making  saw  handles,  and 
planes. 

In  the  machine  shop  he  saw  men  operating  delicate 
machinery,  with  artificial  arms  and  iron  fingers,  which 
grasped  the  tools  almost  as  well  as  if  they  were  of  flesh 
and  blood. 

In  the  electrical  department,  perhaps,  he  met  mutilated 
men  just  back  from  Rouen,  where  with  only  one  director 
they  had  installed  electricity  for  a  hospital  of  1,200  beds ; 
or  he  saw  three  great  modern  bakeries,  with  electric  knead- 
ing troughs  and  masonry  ovens  built  by  his  mutilated 
comrades;  or  he  came  in  contact  with  men  at  work  on  a 
large  building  for  the  "School  of  Construction  and  Design" 
moved  up  from  Mortain,  or  at  work  on  a  new  water  mill 
to  grind  wheat. 

Some  of  his  comrades  were  teaching.  Two  fishermen 
from  Blankenburghe,  in  the  harness  department,  were 
teaching  men  how  to  make  fly  nets. 

Out  on  the  farms,  created  from  stump  lots,  he  found  a 


196  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

chance  to  learn  agriculture,  horticulture,  care  of  animals, 
breeding  of  poultry  and  fish. 

In  leather,  in  metal,  in  wood,  in  concrete,  on  desks  and 
easels,  or  out  on  the  land,  he  saw  more  kinds  of  things 
being  done  than  he  had  ever  seen  in  one  place  in  his  life 
and  almost  always  he  made  a  choice  with  enthusiasm. 

"Experience  has  taught  us,"  says  De  Paeuw,  "that 
when  a  man  is  unable  to  take  up  his  former  trade  his 
choice  generally  falls  upon  one  in  some  way  connected 
with  the  old  occupation.  A  mason  or  carpenter  will  choose 
the  vocation  of  draughtsman  or  architect's  clerk.  A  stone 
cutter  wishes  to  be  a  stone  dresser.  A  smith  aspires  to 
be  a  designer  of  artistic  iron  w^ork.  A  moulder  who  can  no 
longer  lift  the  heavy  moulds  will  try  to  become  a  modeler. 
A  house  painter  who  can  not  now  climb  on  scaffolding 
naturally  turns  to  the  painting  of  signs  and  advertisements 
in  a  work  shop  or  to  the  decoration  of  china.  A  hair 
dresser  who  can  not  endure  standing  becomes  a  wig  maker. 
Farmhands  or  cow  herds  who  have  lost  their  legs  become 
market  gardeners,  and  farriers  turn  to  lathes." 

We  found  need  of  a  barrack  for  the  blind  and  quickly 
supplied  it  at  a  cost  of  17,500  francs  and  5,000  francs  for 
furnishings.  We  would  have  done  more  had  there  been 
need. 

With  some  men  it  was  of  course  simply  a  question  of 
restoring  movement  and  not  a  question  of  reeducation. 
The  Bon  Secoui^  at  Rouen,  under  Doctor  Lemaire,  did  im- 
portant work.  We  gave  Bon  8ecour  an  operating  tahle  and 
other  supplies  to  the  value  of  5,924  francs.  Likewise  the 
Belgian  front  hospitals  directed  all  their  surgery  to  the 
end  of  helping  the  mutiles  earn  their  living.  The  surgeons 
of  the  Belgian  Red  Cross  did  new  and  startling  things 
with  amputations,  insisting  that  men  must  not  remain 
in  bed  until  they  lose  balance  and  flexibility  of  muscles. 
They  had  men  walking  on  peg  legs  eight  days  after  ampu- 
tation. 

In  1917,  Dr.  Depage  and  his  associates  aided  by  our  sub- 


FOR  THE  MUTILES  197 

sidies  did  work  at  La  Panne,  both  for  the  reeducation  of 
the  mutiles  and  for  the  manufacture  of  a  new  light  arti- 
ficial leg  much  needed.  Dustin  in  neurology,  l^euman  in 
restorative  surgery.  Van  ISTeck  in  orthopedic  surgery,  Mar- 
tin in  prothesis  or  fitting  appliances  and  Rene  Sand  in 
vocational  adaptation,  made  important  studies. 

About  this  same  time,  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen,  took  up 
with  Dr.  Depage  the  question  of  the  civilian  mutiles  to 
\vhich  nobody  else  seemed  to  have  paid  any  attention. 
Inhabitants  of  cities  bombed  by  aviators  and  peasants  liv- 
ing near  the  lines  often  were  mangled  as  badly  as  soldiers. 
Her  Majesty  said  that  the  state  owed  a  duty  to  these  war 
victims  as  well  as  to  the  soldiers,  that  they  would  be  as- 
sets or  liabilities  after  the  war  exactly  the  same  as  sol- 
diers, and  that  for  its  own  protection  Belgium  must  do 
something  about  it.  Dr.  Depage  at  once  opened  his  hos- 
pital at  Mortain  to  this  class  of  unfortunates. 

Her  Majesty  brought  the  matter  to  our  attention.  After 
the  armistice  we  turned  over  to  her,  as  President  of  the 
Belgian  Red  Cross  Society,  the  sum  of  1,000,000  francs  to 
use  as  a  lever  to  bring  together  the  different  agencies  deal- 
ing with  the  mutiles. 

Through  the  influence  of  a  very  important  person,  a 
committee  was  appointed  of  which  the  Commissioner  to 
Belgium  was  a  member,  by  whom  a  plan  was  worked  out 
to  put  small  schools  for  the  mutiles,  civil  and  military,  in 
each  province  where  the  men  could  be  trained  near  their 
homes — all  under  the  direction  of  the  Minister  of  War. 
This  plan  is  now  in  operation. 

At  California  House,  London,  England,  was  another,  a 
home  for  the  reeducation  of  Belgian  mutiles,  supported  en- 
tirely for  three  years  by  gifts  from  America,  and  more 
particularly  California.  It  was  managed  by  Miss  Julia 
Ileyneman.  Its  funds  ran  short  in  the  summer  of  1918 
and  it  appealed  to  the  American  Red  Cross  for  aid.  It 
maintained  in  connection  with  the  school  a  club  called 
"Kitchener  House,"  which  furnished  tea  and  lunch  to  the 


198  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

soldiers  as  well  as  amusements  and  classes.  The  charac- 
ter of  the  work  was  excellent  and  the  standing  high.  The 
Commission  to  Belgium  "helped  out"  on  two  occasions  to 
the  total  amount  of  32,180  francs.  The  work  was  wound 
up  after  the  armistice.  Five  hundred  men  underwent 
treatment  during  three  years  and  were  trained  for  indus- 
trial and  other  pursuits. 


CHAPTER  SXVI 

Some  Great  Days  Toward  the  End 

IT  was  the  night  of  September  30,  1918.  The  day  be- 
fore the  Belgian  Army  had  made  a  great  attack  and 
the  dark  threatening  forest  of  Ilouthulst,  toward  which 
the  Belgians  and  British  had  looked  for  four  years,  was 
theirs.  Thev  had  taken  some  four  thousand  German 
prisoners  and  made  a  four-mile  advance  along  the  moun- 
tain of  Flanders.  The  Commissioner  was  dining  in  his 
little  third  floor  apartment  at  La  Panne  with  Yandevyvere, 
Minister  of  Finance,  and  Vandervelde,  Minister  of  Sup- 
jDlies,  as  his  guests.  All  at  once  Paul  Hymans,  Minister 
of  Foreign  Affairs,  burst  in,  having  come  up  from  Le 
Havre  for  a  conference  with  the  King.  He  told  us  that 
Bulgaria  had  accepted  the  Allied  terms.  To  all  these  men 
who  knew  international  politics  so  well  it  was  news  so 
momentous  and  so  joyful  that  they  were  almost  stunned 
for  a  moment.  Said  Vandervelde,  "It  is  more  important 
than  taking  any  city  or  position  on  the  line.  Cambrai  or 
St.  Quentin,  or  even  Lille  couldn't  compare  with  it." 
Said  Vandevyvere,  "It  is  the  beginning  of  the  end."  And 
so  we  had  a  very  happy  dinner  in  celebration. 

Days  of  intense  activity  followed,  getting  up  supplies 
and  people  and  helping  the  hospitals  carry  the  great  load 
that  had  come  upon  them. 

The  common  people  of  Flanders  and  the  private  sol- 
diers were  astir  over  impending  events  but  apparently  did 
not  dare  let  themselves  hope  that  the  end  was  near. 

Saturday,  October  12,  the  Commissioner  recorded  in  his 
journal  at  La  Panne:  "A  driving  wind  and  rain  but 
a  whirlwind  of  thoughts  and  emotions  for  everybody.    The 

199 


200  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Minister  Berryer  just  told  us  tliat  the  Germans  had  ac- 
cepted all  the  terms  of  peace  and  had  sent  a  note  to  Wil- 
son yesterday;  that  Austria  had  threatened  a  separate 
peace  unless  Germany  made  peace  at  once.  What  of  the 
poor  boys  killed  today  who  have  lived  through  the  war 
up  till  now?  We  are  wild  with  expectancy  and  anxious 
to  get  confirmation." 

Sunday,  October  13. — "A  day  of  intense  joy  with  a  re- 
action. This  morning  we  got  the  text  of  the  German  note 
accepting  Wilson's  terms.  There  was  great  excitement 
in  the  streets.  At  every  corner  I  was  stopped.  A  soldier 
or  nurse  would  come  running  with  the  question,  'Mon 
Colonel,  is  it  true?  Is  it  over?'  Lunch  with  the  Minis- 
ters Berryer  and  Poullet.  Great  joy.  We  are  going  to 
be  in  the  villa  of  the  Minister  Poullet  at  Westend  next 
Sunday.  We  are  going  to  be  in  Brussels  in  a  week.  Then 
tonight,  reaction,  dinner  with  Depage  at  the  hospital  and 
news  of  a  new  Belgian  and  British  attack  to  be  made  to- 
morrow. The  deadly  toll  we  are  paying  is  forced  to  the 
front  again.  I  dined  in  the  midst  of  2,000  wounded  and 
then  telegTaphed  Colonel  Gibson  in  Paris  for  surgeons 
and  nurses  but  fear  they  can't  be  spared." 

Monday,  October  14. — "The  great  guns  of  the  monitors 
just  shook  things  at  daybreak.  The  attack  was  on.  Up 
early  and  away  to  Cassel,  St.  Omer,  Lumbres,  and  back 
to  Hazebrouck,  Steenvoorde,  Poperinghe  and  Ypres.  Or- 
dered supplies  into  refugee  clearing  station  at  Lumbres, 
inspected  civilian  casualty  clearing  stations  of  the  Friends' 
Ambulance  Unit  at  Poperinghe  and  Ypres  for  which  we 
are  paying,  and  got  to  Ypres  to  welcome  the  first  liber- 
ated civilians.  Our  camions  are  bringing  down  wounded 
soldiers  as  well  as  civilians  today.  Hospitals  are  over- 
taxed. Ypres  was  shelled  heavily  today  on  account  of 
traffic.  Glorious  news  tonight — we  have  taken  Courtrai. 
These  may  be  the  last  days  of  this  terrible  war." 

Tuesday,  October  15.^"I  am  very  sad  today,  thinking 
of  Colonel  Bremer  killed  yesterday.     He  was  one  of  the 


i=» 


SOME  GREAT  DAYS  TOWARD  THE  END     201 

finest  officers  in  the  Belgian  Army  and  one  of  the  bravest 
men  I  ever  knew.  He  knew  on  Saturday  that  he  was 
going  to  attack  near  Zonnebeke  on  Monday,  and  he  said, 
"I  wish  I  could  have  lived  through;  I'd  like  to  see  what 
kind  of  a  world  it  will  be  after  the  war,  but  it  is  not  to 
be."  He  was  badly  hit  and  my  friend,  Dr.  Toucher, 
rushed  to  him  and  was  bending  over  him  when  a  shell  fell 
on  them  both." 

Wednesday,  October  16. — "A  close  squeak  tonight.  Was 
coming  from  the  villa  of  the  King  when  a  great  shell 
came  in  without  much  of  any  scream,  dropping  almost 
straight  down  and  "did  in"  the  tribunal  which  I  was 
passing — two  houses  together — hurling  rubbish  and  men 
down  together  in  the  street.  Got  up  quickly  unhurt  and 
helped  a  wounded  man  to  the  hospital.  Went  back  and 
found  the  Judge  dead  and  another  man,  and  five  other 
people  whom  we  couldn't  get  from  under  the  tons  of  stuff. 
The  gendarmes  and  soldiers  will  dig  all  night  if  need  be. 
They  got  a  baby  out  unhurt. 

"Cooreman,  the  Prime  Minister,  is  here  in  the  apartment 
with  me.  Was  in  his  car  just  ahead  of  me  when  the  shell 
fell.  A  few  seconds'  delay  and  he  would  have  been  under 
it.  Close  escape  also  for  the  King  and  Queen  as  the  shells 
tonight  are  380's  or  420's  and  they  blow  everything  to 
pieces.  They  are  coming  in  faster  than  I've  ever  known 
them  in  La  Panne.  The  Minister  Poullet  says  the  battery 
shelling  us  tonight  is  a  big  one  just  beyond  Ostend.  Every- 
body in  the  house  is  in  the  cellar  except  the  Minister  and 
myself,  but  it  is  too  dangerous  down  there  for  us.  We'd 
rather  go  down  with  the  house  than  have  the  house  come 
down  on  us.  I  have  no  faith  in  any  abri  in  La  Panne  ex- 
cept the  one  we  built  for  Madame  Eolin's  babies.  But  it 
must  be  near  the  end." 

Thursday,  October  17. — "Got  up  supplies  today  for  new 
first  aid  stations.  A  busy  day  at  many  things.  Down  at 
hospital  of  Countess  Van  den  Steen  at  Couthove,  and  found 
her  overtaxed  like  everybody.     Promised  additional  sup- 


202  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

plies  at  once.  Strange  sensations  here  these  days.  Ger- 
mans evacuating  the  coast.  Ostend  free.  Came  through 
jSTieuport  this  afternoon.  Impossible  to  think  of  it  as 
safe  but  it  is.  Under  cover  of  the  heavy  shelling  last 
night,  and  leaving  lights  in  their  trenches,  the  Germans 
started  away.  As  I  woke  up,  I  heard  a  noise  in  the 
street,  went  down  and  Colonel  Joostens  dashed  around  the 
corner  and  said,  'The  Germans  got  out  in  the  night.  I 
am  on  my  way  to  Ostend.  My  battery  starts  today.  We 
will  be  there  tomorrow.'  It  means  unutterable  things  to 
La  Panne  which  for  four  years  has  been  always  in  danger. 
As  I  dashed  for  the  hospital  with  the  new^s,  I  saw  a  body 
come  ashore — a  fine  young  British  naval  officer.  He  had 
been  in  the  water  only  a  little  while.  It  is  that  way 
always  here — tragedy  gripping  us  in  our  happiest  mo- 
ments. Got  the  text  of  the  President's  message  today. 
The  King's  Secretary  was  with  me  and  said,  'He  is  one  of 
the  greatest  men  in  history.  He  becomes  a  law  giver  for 
mankind.    What  a  thing  is  a  sense  of  justice.'  " 

Friday,  October  18. — "I  had  my  baggage  in  the  car  to 
start  for  Le  Havre  to  see  about  moving  the  office  up  here, 
when  Dr.  Janssen  (Ocean  Hospital)  came  bounding  up 
the  steps  and  asked  me  to  go  to  Ostend  with  him  to  see 
if  we  could  be  of  any  help.  We  little  knew  what  we  would 
face  in  roads,  although  we  were  told  the  Germans  blew  up 
all  the  bridges  and  road  intersections.  We  got  to  Pervyse 
and  found  a  division  of  the  Belgian  Army  waiting  to  cross 
the  Yser.  We  walked  to  the  famous  Schoorbakke  and  got 
there  at  3  P.  M.  to  see  the  last  plank  placed  on  the  new 
bridge  and  to  see  the  first  vehicle  over.  It  was  too  late  to 
make  Ostend  and  get  Dr.  Janssen  to  the  hospital  that  night, 
so  we  came  back.  German  trenches  were  still  warm.  It 
was  mighty  interesting  to  see  how  they  left  them,  but 
everybody  was  afraid  of  hidden  mines  and  traps." 

Saturday,  October  19. — "Today  I  went  wnth  the  Min- 
ister Vandervyvere  to  Roulers  and  Iseghem,  just  liber- 
ated, both  in  the  district  he  represents  in  Parliament.     It 


SOME  GREAT  DAYS  TOWARD  THE  END     203 

was  a  notable  experience.  We  went  up  by  Poelcappelle 
through  an  indescribable  No-Man's-Land  of  death  and  de- 
struction over  roads  the  worst  I  ever  attempted.  We 
lunched  in  the  home  of  M.  Carpentier,  burgomaster  of 
Iseghem,  President  of  the  Comite  National,  and  an  old 
friend  of  my  companion.  It  was  almost  like  breaking 
communion  bread.  Carpentier  was  a  very  rich  man  be- 
fore the  war.  For  four  years  they  have  lived  under  the 
Germans  and  in  a  zone  of  military  operations  where  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  get  passes  to  'Circulate.'  For 
the  past  two  days  and  nights  he  and  his  wife  have  been  in 
the  cellar  suffering  the  bombardment  of  both  sides.  His 
brewery  near  the  house  was  burned.  Today  with  perfect 
hospitality  they  set  out  a  luncheon  for  us.  A  dish  of  soup, 
meat  we  had  brought,  some  nuts  gathered  in  the  country 
nearby,  one  beautiful  pear  and  one  apple,  and  most  mar- 
velous of  all,  a  loaf  of  wonderful  white  bread.  A  Belgian 
officer  had  given  the  burgomaster  one  loaf.  These  people 
who  had  been  living  upon  the  black  German  war  bread 
and  who  looked  upon  this  white  loaf  as  almost  sacred,  cut 
it  for  us.  They  set  forth  their  choicest  gift  for  the  first 
guests  of  the  liberation.  And  from  the  depths  of  the 
cellar  came  one  bottle  of  Bordeaux  wine  which  had  been 
concealed  and  saved  for  a  great  occasion.  The  burgomas- 
ter could  hardly  speak  he  was  so  affected  by  the  rapid 
turn  of  events.  Tuesday  night  they  went  to  bed  with 
German  soldiers  still  around  them.  Wednesday  morning 
the  Belgians  were  with  them.  I  find  conditions  in  general 
good.  There  is  no  great  emergency  distress — no  great 
amount  of  sickness — no  famine — food  stocks  for  some  days 
— but  we  shall  have  to  get  food  coming  up  fast  from  our 
way  as  the  Hoover  food  can't  come  now  the  other  way 
through  the  German  lines.  There  is  a  great  scarcity  of 
clothing.  The  lines  are  moving  forward  farther  south  also. 
Yesterday  our  camions  rushed  a  lot  of  food  up  to  Tour- 
coing,  Lille  and  Roubaix  from  the  Adinkerke  warehouses. 
Other  camions  supplied  little  villages  around  Roulers.    We 


204  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

find  11,000  of  15,000  inliabitants  still  at  Iseghem.  Rou- 
lers  had  only  1,100  civilians  out  of  25,000.  Roulers  was 
just  enoiigli  nearer  tlie  old  German  front  lines  to  make 
it  uninhabitable. 

"We  had  with  us  today  Baron  Gilles  de  Pelichy  of  one  of 
the  old  rich  Flemish  families.  He  has  been  working  for 
the  government  at  Le  Havre  for  three  years.  His  father 
and  mother  stayed  in  their  beautiful  chateau  between 
Iseghem  and  Ingelmunster.  We  took  him  home.  It  was 
a  thrilling  trip  for  him  and  we  shared  his  excitement. 
We  passed  old  familiar  landmarks  he  had  not  seen  for 
years.  As  we  got  within  half  a  dozen  miles  of  home,  he 
began  to  see  peasants  whom  he  knew  and  his  excitement 
was  almost  uncontrollable.  Horny-handed  old  fellows 
came  running  up  to  the  car,  dropping  their  pipes  in  their 
emotion,  to  greet  "Mijn  lierr  den  Baron."  When  we 
reached  the  chateau  we  found  the  great  park  filled  with  the 
wooden  barracks  of  a  German  Army  headquarters.  I 
never  saw  so  many  wires  going  into  one  building  any- 
where. (An  American  Army  headquarters  was  estab- 
lished here  a  week  or  so  later.)  An  old  concierge  leaned 
out  of  an  upper  window  overwhelmed  with  astonishment 
and  the  Baron  called,  'Is  father  here  V  and  he  said,  'Yes,' 
misunderstanding  the  question.  Then  joy  was  uncon- 
trolled but  was  doomed  quickly  to  bitter  disappointment 
when  we  found  that  the  old  father  and  mother  had  been 
forced  to  go  to  Brussels  two  weeks  before  by  the  German 
authorities.  The  chateau  was  not  burned  but  was  more 
or  less  spoiled.  The  great  circular  drawing-room  was 
split  up  by  concrete  partitions  into  offices.  Stove  pipe 
holes  were  cut  through  walls  in  every  direction.  The 
best  of  the  furniture  had  been  carried  away.  A  litter  of 
papers  and  broken  glass  and  office  debris  was  piled  in 
heaps  showing  that  the  concierge  already  was  struggling 
with  the  problem  of  cleaning  and  restoring.  Fully  half 
of  the  noble  trees  in  the  park  around  the  chateau  were 
killed  by  shell  fire.     It  was  a  sad  sight  but  not  as  bad  as 


SOME  GREAT  DAYS  TOWARD  THE  END     205 

it  might  have  been.    The  father  and  mother  were  alive  and 
the  place  was  there. 

"We  had  with  us  the  schoolmaster  of  Roulers,  van  Eol- 
leghen.  When  the  war  broke  out,  he  buried  all  his  little 
fortune,  the  accumulation  of  a  lifetime  of  saving,  in  the 
garden  of  his  house  in  Roulers.  He  was  on  the  front  seat 
of  our  car  with  the  driver  wondering  if  he  were  a  poor 
man  in  his  old  age  or  whether  he  had  enough  to  live  on 
comfortably  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  had  not  slept  for 
eight  days  in  his  excitement.  Money  isn't  important  com- 
pared with  life  but  still  I  sympathized  with  his  emotion. 
He  found  his  house  burned,  his  garden  plowed  up  with 
shells,  and  no  trace  whatever  of  his  money.  He  was  very 
courageous  and  said:  'I  will  start  over.'  But  it  was  a 
tough  experience  for  him." 

Sunday,  October  20,  Bruges,  Flanders. — "The  Germans 
left  Bruges  yesterday.  We  are  here  this  afternoon  in  time 
to  see  the  first  enthusiasm  of  the  crowds.  The  Ministers 
Berryer,  Yandevyvere,  Helleputte,  PouUet  and  I  came  up 
together.  The  crowds  lined  streets  as  we  drove  in  about 
4  P.  M.  and  crowded  about  the  cars  cheering.  Thousands 
of  flags  which  had  been  hidden  were  hung  out.  Everybody 
spoke  to  us.  Everybody  wanted  to  do  something  for  us. 
The  people  were  just  starved  for  the  outside  world.  I 
am  tonight  at  the  fine  old  home  of  the  burgomaster.  Count 
Visart.  For  dinner  we  had  soup,  roast  beef,  at  12  or  14 
francs  a  kilo,  potatoes,  a  hashed  meat,  a  pudding  and  four 
or  five  wines.  The  dinner  was  a  surprise,  especially  to 
find  that  the  Germans  had  left  any  wine.  The  morale  of 
the  population  is  in  the  main  good.  Hoover  has  done 
great  work  inside  Belgium." 

Monday,  October  21,  Midnight. — "Bruges  to  Ostend 
and  back  to  La  Panne.  Left  the  Ministers  and  went  on  to 
Ostend.  Found  the  road  that  was  open  by  following  car  of 
the  new  town  commander.  Impressed  by  size  of  town. 
Found  20,000  people  of  the  population  of  42,000.  iN'ot 
much  like  the  gay  summer  resort  I  used  to  know.    Prom- 


206  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

ised  a  quick  supply  of  condensed  milk  for  children.  Con- 
ditions generally  good.  British  have  done  their  bombing 
at  Ostend  with  discrimination.  Made  a  horrible  mess  of 
railroad  stations  and  docks  but  town  itself  only  hurt  here 
and  there.  The  King  and  Queen  visited  Bruges  today 
after  I  left  but  I  have  arranged  to  be  there  for  their  for- 
mal entry  next  week.  Came  by  the  new  Belgian  Army 
headquarters  at  Thourout,  picking  up  the  Minister  Van- 
dervelde  and  Dr.  Depage  on  the  road  and  looked  over  the 
Depage  hospital,  which  our  money  made  possible." 

Tuesday,  October  22. — "La  Panne  to  Montreuil-sur-mer 
and  back.  Dowm  half  way  to  Le  Havre  to  meet  Major  Lee 
and  Captain  Corn — to  get  in  touch — and  then  back  for  din- 
ner wdth  General  Melis  tonight  at  Dunkirk.  Completed 
arrangements  w^ith  Lee  to  get  quickly  to  Bruges  and  take 
charge  of  office  I  am  opening  there.  Will  move  everything 
from  Le  Llavre  as  the  Belgian  Government  is  coming  up 
at  once." 

Bruges,  Wednesday,  October  23. — "La  Panne  to  Bruges 
— General  Melis  wanted  our  help  with  his  hospitals  at  Os- 
tend and  Bruges.  Got  off  with  Melis  after  lunch.  Made 
quick  trip  up  over  new  good  shore  road.  Visited  all  his  pro- 
posed hospitals  and  then  the  Depage  hospital  already  func- 
tioning in  the  iSTormal  School  Building.  Considerable  fight- 
ing between  here  and  Ghent.  Good  dinner  at  a  little  res- 
taurant. Then  walked  out  in  the  great  square  by  the  tower, 
saw  the  north  star,  heard  the  guns  and  thought  it  all  over." 

Thursday,  October  24,  La  Panne. — "Visited  proposed 
hospitals  of  General  Melis  at  Ostend.  Got  back  to  see  In- 
genbleck  (Secretary  to  King).  Told  me  that  one  of  the  first 
things  the  King  wanted  to  do  in  liberated  Belgium  was  to 
show  his  gratitude  to  the  American  Bed  Cross  by  decorat- 
ing Henry  P.  Davison  (Chairman  of  the  War  Council). 
Wanted  me  to  bring  Davison  to  see  the  King  at  Bruges 
tomorrow,  the  day  of  the  great  entry.  Got  Davison  on 
telephone  in  Paris.  Lie  could  not  start  up  until  Sunday. 
Had  all  this  to  change  with  the  King.     Thank  God  the 


SOME  GREAT  DAYS  TOWARD  THE  END      207 

King  is  a  King.  I  believe  he  cares  as  mucli  for  my  con- 
venience and  my  time  and  that  of  every  other  busy  man 
as  he  does  for  his  own." 

On  Friday,  October  25,  the  Commissioner  wrote  from 
La  Panne  to  Major  Lee  at  Le  Havre  a  description  of  the 
entry  of  the  King  and  Queen  into  Bruges: 

"The  famous  old  bell  tower  of  Bruges  looked  down  upon 
a  scene  today  of  which  men  will  think  and  speak  a  thou- 
sand years  from  now.  Like  a  King  and  Queen  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  at  the  head  of  their  troops.  King  Albert 
and  Queen  Elizabeth,  with  the  Crown  Prince  Leopold, 
rode  on  horseback  into  Bruges,  while  50,000  people  in 
mingled  French  and  Flemish  shouted:  ^Long  live  the 
King.' 

"Wheeling  about  the  great  square  in  a  graceful  curve, 
their  Majesties  took  up  a  position  in  the  center,  attended 
by  a  staff  of  Belgian,  French  and  British  officers,  while 
their  troops  marched  past.  Most  of  these  soldiers  were 
the  simple  Flemish  boys  of  the  country.  Every  now  and 
then  an  excited  cry  would  come  from  the  sidewalk  of 
some  one  who  recognized  a  son,  a  brother,  or  a  sweetheart. 

"At  the  close  of  the  procession  the  King  dismounted 
with  the  Queen  and  Prince,  and  attended  by  the  staff, 
entered  the  historic  old  Government  House  of  the  Provin- 
cial Government  of  West  Flanders.  Here  they  were  re- 
ceived by  the  Governor,  Burgomaster,  the  Secretary,  the 
Aldermen  and  other  officials.  Governor  Janssens  van  Bis- 
thoven  and  the  Burgomaster  Visart,  in  good  Flemish, 
welcomed  their  Majesties  to  Bruges.  Count  Yisart  said 
that  for  four  years  they  had  thought  about  the  army,  the 
hardships  which  it  was  enduring  in  the  trenches  on  the 
Yser  and  the  fortitude  which  the  men  showed  under  suffer- 
ing and  danger.  'But,'  said  he,  Sve  have  also  thought  of 
your  Majesties  and  especially  Ller  Majesty,  the  Queen, 
who  has  chosen  to  face  just  as  great  dangers  in  a  wonder- 
ful work  of  relief.  Long  live  the  King  and  long  live  the 
Queen!'    In  reply  the  King  said  that  the  historic  old  city 


208  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

of  Bruges  had  nobly  performed  its  duty  during  the  war. 
It  had  borne  with  dignity  and  courage  the  presence  of  the 
enemy.  He  was  glad  to  come  to  Bruges  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  government;  and  thanked  the  citizens  for 
their  warm  welcome  and  for  the  hospitality  of  the  city. 
"I  was  impressed  with  the  fact  that  our  decision  to 
move  to  Bruges  was  a  very  wise  one.  For  example:  I 
saw  Brown,  the  Holland  representative  of  the  Commission 
for  Relief  in  Belgium,,  one  of  the  Secretaries  of  our  Lega- 
tion at  The  Hague,  and  Mr.  Jean  van  den  Branden,  a  very 
dear  friend  who  represents  Belgium  at  the  Rotterdam 
office  of  the  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium.  They  had 
crossed  the  frontier  from  Holland  this  morning.  I  saw  all 
the  men  with  whom  I  have  been  doing  business  at  La 
Panne.  There  will  be  opportunity  still  for  work  at  La 
Panne  in  connection  with  the  base  hospitals  this  side  of 
the  Yser  and  in  connection  with  the  other  work  which  we 
have  been  helping  as  well  as  at  our  barracks  at  Adin- 
kerke,  which  have  assumed  very  gTeat  importance.  I  must 
have  a  good  man  stay  here  at  La  Panne  for  a  time  at  least 
and  perhaps  become  the  District  Delegate  in  this  section, 
if  we  have  such  a  title. 

''Captain  Graux  went  along  with  me  and  we  talked  over 
many  things  about  Le  Glandier.  I  found  an  urgent  situa- 
tion up  here  about  certain  surgical  supplies  like  ether  and 
chloroform,  and  have  wired  to  Titcomb  to  meet  me  at  the 
Hotel  Vouillemont  in  Paris  tomorrow  night. 

"The  Minister  of  War,  whom  I  saw  on  my  way  back, 
said  he  was  moving  this  week.  There  will  be  a  farewell 
to  friends  on  Wednesday,  at  Le  Havre.  Thursday  and 
Friday  the  ministers  will  be  moving  to  Bruges.  They  have 
rented  the  Hotel  du  Commerce  for  living  quarters. 

"I  found  the  new  office  just  rented,  a  sorry  looking 
sight  with  the  debris  of  occupation  by  German  private 
soldiers.  I  made  arrangements  to  have  the  burgomaster 
send  men  to  clean  it  up  and  put  it  in  order  and  get  furni- 
ture which  will  be  loaned  to  us  for  the  short  time  we  are 


SOME  GREAT  DAYS  TOWARD  THE  END     209 

apt  to  be  there.  I  think  it  is  large  enough  to  give  offices 
to  the  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit  with  us.  They  seem  to 
think  it  would  be  advisable  to  be  close  to  us  and  I  feel  very 
sure  about  it." 

On  October  28,  Henry  P.  Davison,  accompanied  by 
Colonel  Harvey  Gibson,  Major  Fosburg,  Lieutenant  Davi- 
son, and  others,  came  to  inspect  our  work,  visiting  first 
the  Belgian  Hospital  at  La  Chartreuse,  the  Red  Cross 
Children's  Colony  at  Recques  and  then  proceeding  rapidly 
to  Bruges. 

Just  outside  the  city  in  the  Chateau  of  Laaken,  His 
Majesty  had  established  himself,  and  there  received  Mr. 
Davison,  his  son,  an  officer  of  the  American  ISTaval  Avia- 
tion, Colonel  Gibson,  and  the  Commissioner.  He  thanked 
Mr.  Davison  for  the  work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  and 
decorated  him  with  the  highest  Belgian  order,  the  Order 
of  Leopold,  himself  pinning  on  the  decoration  and  mak- 
ing Mr.  Davison  a  Commander  of  the  Order,  the  highest 
rank. 

In  reply  to  the  King,  Mr.  Davison  said,  among  other 
things,  that  he  accepted  it  as  the  head  of  the  Red  Cross  and 
not  with  any  sense  of  personal  vanity. 

That  was  his  attitude  throughout  all  his  great  war  work. 
He  gave  himself,  his  health  and  strength,  and  his  com- 
manding abilities  without  any  reward  as  a  representative 
of  the  American  people. 

Americans  have  a  prejudice  against  decorations.  It 
showed  itself  in  a  constitutional  provision  forbidding  any 
officer  of  the  United  States  accepting  a  title,  office  or  gift 
of  any  kind  from  a  King  or  Prince  without  the  consent  of 
Congress.  An  amendment  was  pending  for  years,  lacking 
only  one  vote  to  pass,  forbidding  any  citizen  even  to  ac- 
cept such  recognition. 

But  Americans  now  begin  to  see  that  it  is  as  foolish  to 
refuse  decorations  as  it  is  to  seek  them.  Unsought  they 
carry  a  message  of  good  will  and  gratitude. 

The  last  point  which  Mr.  Davison  visited  was  La  Panne 


210  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

where  we  stood  on  the  beach  and  looked  at  the  line  of  build- 
ings along  the  waterfront,  the  villa  of  the  King  at  one  end 
and  the  Ocean  Hospital  at  the  other  end. 

Directly  in  front  of  us  were  the  Bains  Militaires  or 
Military  Baths. 

I  told  Mr.  Davison  how  a  shell  came  in  one  day,  and 
gave  us  many  casualties  there  among  refugees  washing 
and  mending  clothing,  of  whom  some  thirty  died,  and  of  a 
frail  little  hunchback  dressmaker  who  had  both  legs  cut 
off  near  the  hips  but  who,  when  her  old  mother  came  cry- 
ing to  the  hospital,  said,  "Don't  cry,  mother,  I  can  sit  in 
a  chair  and  sew,  and  I  will  take  care  of  you." 

Mr.  Davison  pulled  a  generous  banknote  from  his  pocket 
and  said,  "This  is  not  official,  but  I  personally  will  count 
it  an  honor  to  help  that  little  dressmaker." 

The  great  sense  of  human  brotherhood  which  was  felt  so 
deeply  amid  these  horrors  of  war,  binding  all  classes  to- 
gether, may  yet  rule  in  days  of  peace. 

Red  Cross  work  means  at  least  one  step  that  way. 


CPIAPTER  XXYII 
The  Kino;  Comes  Home 


'■ts 


ON  the  morning  of  ISTovember  11,  1918,  at  5  o'clock, 
the  armistice  was  signed,  to  go  into  effect  at  eleven 
A.  M.  I  heard  about  it  at  7  A.  M.  from  the  Minis- 
ter Vendervelde,  in  Bruges,  with  whom  I  had  an  engage- 
ment to  go  to  Eoulers  to  inspect  the  condition  of  the  lib- 
erated people.  "Let  us  go  to  Ghent  instead,"  I  said,  ''Chez 
les  Bodies  f  He  replied,  "All  right,  we  will  try  it."  In 
his  beautiful  Rolls  Eoyce  car  we  were  soon  under  way, 
stopping  to  call  out  the  first  news  of  the  armistice  to  the 
little  villages  we  passed.  At  Lederghem  twelve  men  and 
a  dog  made  a  circle  and  danced  about  us  rejoicing,  the  dog 
on  his  hind  legs  barking  loudly,  but  it  was  a  joyful  bark. 
We  passed  the  Belgian  outposts  at  the  river  and  then 
had  to  clear  branches  and  wires  from  our  path.  The 
bridges  were  down  into  Ghent,  and  we  circled  the  city  to 
the  left,  soon  meeting  peasants  coming  out  who  said  that 
the  bridge  over  which  the  Germans  marched  out  eastward 
at  seven  A.  M.  was  intact.  We  got  around  to  this  bridge 
and  soon  were  in  Ghent.  We  were  the  first  civilians  and 
the  first  automobile  to  enter,  although  Belgian  soldiers  had 
begun  to  filter  in  an  hour  before.  The  streets  were  crowded 
and  some  were  impassable,  while  people  shouted,  cheered, 
laughed,  wept  and  fought  to  get  to  the  car  and  seize  our 
hands.  A  squad  of  gendarmes  soon  cleared  a  way  and 
escorted  us  to  the  Governor's  residence  on  the  square. 
Here  we  were  literally  lifted  up  the  outside  steps  and 
swept  into  the  great  entrance  hall.  The  old  Governor  met 
us  half  way  up  the  grand  staircase,  embraced  us,  and  wept 
with  joy. 

211 


212  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Soon  we  were  taken  to  the  top  of  the  outer  stairs  over- 
looking the  balcony,  where  thousands  awaited  us.  Van- 
dervelde  spoke  in  French,  a  Dutch  Senator  who  came  in 
with  us,  in  Flemish  and  I,  in  mingled  English  and  French. 
It  was  an  hour  when  a  universal  language  replaced  our 
different  tongues.  Rich  and  poor,  noble  and  beggar,  sol- 
diers and  civilians,  listened  and  wept  and  cheered,  know- 
ing that  we  all  said  in  one  way  or  another:  "The  great 
hour  has  come.  God  be  praised.  The  heroic  old  city 
of  Ghent  is  liberated.  Your  fortitude,  your  long  endur- 
ance,-your  fidelity  have  had  their  reward.  The  world  will 
never  forget  what  you  have  endured  and  how  you  have 
endured  it.  'Long  live  Belgium.'  'Long  live  the  King.' 
'Long  live  the  Allies.'  'Long  live  Ghent.'  And  then  with 
a  thunder  sound  from  the  crowds,  'Long  live  America.'  " 

I  spoke  to  the  crowd  at  eleven,  the  hour  the  war  ended, 
and  as  I  was  speaking  the  Germans  across  the  water  fired 
one  farewell  volley  into  the  town,  killing  a  single  civilian, 
a  lame  old  shoemaker. 

To  deal  promptly  with  the  problem  of  revictualing  we 
had  an  investigation  made  at  once  of  the  condition  of  the 
canals  toward  Llolland,  from  whence  the  Hoover  food  had 
to  come,  as  everything  was  blocked  toward  Bruges.  We 
found  that  very  little  work  was  necessary  to  clear  the  main 
route  south  from  Sas '  van  Ghent.  The  burgomasetr  of 
Ghent  asked  us  for  malted  milk  and  condensed  milk  for 
children,  and  I  got  a  shipment  in  to  him  by  truck  the  next 
day.  I  called  on  Professor  George  Hulin  de  Loo  of  the 
University  of  Ghent,  whom  we  had  visited  before  the  war, 
and  his  astonishment  left  him  utterly  speechless.  With 
him  I  paid  my  respects  to  the  Bishop  just  across  the  street. 

That  night  we  made  our  way  back  to  Bruges  and  then 
learned  that  those  of  us  in  the  military  establishment  were 
forbidden  under  the  terms  of  the  armistice  from  approach- 
ing within  a  fixed  number  of  kilometers  of  the  retreating 
Germans.  I  went  to  Brussels  while  the  Germans  were  still 
there,  once  by  accident,  but  the  second  time  not  quite  as 


THE  KING  COMES  HOME  213 

accidcutally,  but  after  conference  with  responsible  offi- 
cials. 

On  Wednesday,  ISTovember  13,  tbe  Minister  Vander- 
velde  told  me  in  Ostend  that  he  was  going  to  Brussels  to 
help  steer  things,  that  a  revolution  had  broken  out  among 
the  German  soldiers — they  were  stripping  insignia  and  dec- 
orations from  their  officers,  and  that  he  felt  he  was  needed. 

On  Friday,  November  15,  in  Ghent,  I  met  Topping, 
former  Secretary  to  the  American  Legation  at  Brussels, 

now  with  the  Associated  Press,  and  Colonel 

of  the  American  Army,  who  asked  me  to  drive  them  as 
near  Brussels  as  I  could,  to  see  if  the  Germans  were  out, 
but  not  to  go  into  the  German  lines,  as  it  meant  court-mar- 
tial for  the  Colonel.  We  started,  went  very  fast,  and 
before  we  knew  it  went  by  the  German  outposts  at  40  miles 
an  hour.  The  sentinels  seemed  uncertain,  moved  out  into 
the  road,  lifted  their  guns,  and  stepped  back.  All  we 
could  do  was  to  go  on  in,  turn  around  in  a  quiet  place, 
drop  Topping,  who  wanted  to  stay,  and  get  the  Colonel  out. 
We  passed  marching  Germans,  German  lorries,  German 
troops  off  duty,  and  Germans  packing  up,  but  were  unmo- 
lested.    We  went  out  at  the  same  high  speed. 

We  had  heard  the  explosions  of  dumps  being  blown  up, 
and  I  heard  rumors  of  wounded  civilians.  Early  the  next 
morning  I  started  back  from  Bruges  to  go  in  to  Brussels 
if  possible  and  stay.  It  was  the  experience  of  the  day 
before  all  over  again.  The  sentinels  were  cowed  and  un- 
certain. I  drove  up  through  the  main  streets,  but  the 
attention  I  attracted  appeared  dangerous.  A  crowd  as- 
sembled as  we  stopped  to  ask  directions,  shouting  and 
cheering,  and  this  might  easily  have  started  rioting  with 
drunken  soldiers  out  of  control.  We  drove  hastily  to  the 
residence  of  Paul  de  Mot,  son  of  the  former  burgomaster, 
and  father  of  Madame  Janssen,  wife  of  Doctor  Janssen, 
our  friend  at  La  Panne.  The  servants  quickly  obeyed  my 
Flemish  chauffeur,  the  doors  swung  open  and  we  were  off 
the  street  and  in  the  courtyard. 


214  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

I  had  with  me  M.  Gregoire,  a  civilian,  and  a  young  Bel- 
gian aviator,  so  keen  to  find  his  people  that  he  was  willing 
to  take  any  chances.  He  waited  until  dark,  and  then  went 
home  by  back  streets.  This  was  unnecessary,  for  I  walked 
out  that  night  to  the  home  of  M.  Hanssens,  the  lawyer, 
where  I  was  to  dine,  and  I  passed  many  German  soldiers 
who  stared  at  me  curiously,  but  without  demonstration, 
except  in  the  case  of  three  fellows  merry  wdth  wine,  who 
made  some  joking  passes  with  their  bayonets.  To  all,  the 
war  was  over.    The  end  had  come.    The  jig  was  up. 

Sunday  morning,  November  17,  I  saw  them  go  out. 
There  may  come  some  more  momentous  and  interesting  pa- 
rades in  my  life  but  I  doubt  it. 

I  had  seen  them  in  1915,  marching  in  Berlin,  in  Brus- 
sels, in  Cologne,  and  in  Aix-la-Chapelle,  in  the  height  of 
their  power  and  glory — with  new  uniforms,  shining  equip- 
ment and  apparently  irresistible  esprit. 

They  went  out  of  Brussels  in  old  uniforms,  with  bat- 
tered equipment,  their  auto  trucks  equipped  with  iron  tires 
instead  of  rubber,  and  officers  accompanying  them  in  a 
kind  of  command,  but  only  by  permission  of  the  workmen 
and  soldiers'  representatives  who  had  become  the  real 
German  power. 

The  night  before  I  could  have  bought  machine  guns 
from  them  for  ten  francs  and  all  other  kinds  of  equipment 
in  proportion.  Some  thrifty  Belgians  made  huge  profits 
in  the  days  following  from  souvenirs  bought  in  these  last 
hours  of  German  occupation. 

At  11  o'clock  Sunday  morning  the  liberation  was  pro- 
claimed from  the  City  Hall  Tower  by  trumpeters,  while  a 
dense  crowd  cheered.  "We  are  half  mad  today,"  said  my 
brave  little  gray-haired  hostess.     "Don't  mind  us." 

At  2  o'clock  Burgomaster  Max,  just  back  from  a  Ger- 
man prison,  was  received  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  Faultlessly 
dressed,  suave,  smiling,  polished,  undisturbed,  he  w.is  the 
same  Max  as  when  he  went  out  to  meet  the  invading 
Germany  Army  on  the  outskirts  of  Brussels  in  August, 


THE  KING  COMES  HOME  215 

1914;  no  different  than  when  he  politely  refused  to  take 
the  German  General's  hand,  and  no  different  than  when 
he  nailed  up  on  the  bill  boards  of  Brussels  his  denial  of 
German  lies  for  all  the  population  to  read,  and  faced  the 
consequences. 

It  was  the  day  of  most  intense  emotion  in  Brussels,  as  it 
was  the  first  day  of  freedom,  but  the  day  of  great  spectacle, 
of  impressive  pageant,  and  almost  equal  feeling  was  at 
hand. 

Said  the  Americans  in  Belgium  in  1914,  "We  would 
wait  here  five  years  if  need  be  to  be  here  when  the  King 
comes  home." 

Said  some  of  the  refugees  in  Holland,  "We  would  crawl 
on  hands  and  knees  to  be  there  when  the  King  enters 
Brussels." 

The  relief  workers  had  left  in  1917  and  were  scattered, 
only  a  few  were  near  enough  to  be  there,  and  not  many  of 
the  refugees  were  back.  But  the  government  moved  up 
en  masse  from  Le  Havre  excepting  a  few  unhappy  officials 
and  members  of  their  families  who  could  not  get  on  the 
special  trains.  The  diplomatic  corps  reappeared  from 
Paris,  Le  Havre  and  other  points  near  and  far.  Detach- 
ments of  Allied  troops  came  as  an  escort  for  the  King  with 
Pershing,  Foch  and  Prince  Albert  of  England  in  command. 
People  straggled  in  on  foot  and  packed  in  lorries  and  on 
farm  carts.  By  hook  or  by  crook,  they  got  there  from 
Paris,  from  Havre,  from  Calais,  from  La  Panne,  Bruges 
and  Ghent. 

John  Gummere,  left  behind  at  our  office  in  Bruges,  flew 
in  at  the  last  minute  with  a  Belgian  aviator. 

Then  amid  indescribable  scenes,  the  King  and  Queen, 
the  Princes  Leopold  and  Charlie,  and  the  little  Princess 
Marie-Jose  formally  and  officially  entered  the  city,  on 
horseback,  welcomed  by  Max,  welcomed  by  Parliament, 
and  welcomed  by  shouting  thousands. 

In  the  same  Parliament  house  where  he  had  taken  his 
stand  for  fidelity  to  the  treaty  obligations,  the  King  re- 


216  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

ceived  the  homage  of  the  government  and  spoke  simply 
and  devoutly,  his  words  of  thanks. 

Joy  was  unconfined.  Hope  filled  the  air.  The  happiest 
of  reunions  took  place.  But  it  seemed  as  if  the  King  and 
the  Queen  never  forgot  for  an  instant  what  the  country 
had  been  through,  the  many  graves  they  had  left  in  Flan- 
ders, and  the  many  people  that  glad  day  in  Brussels  who 
could  not  have  their  boys  back. 

Very  soon  the  King  was  hard  at  work,  bearing  the  almost 
insupportable  burdens  of  peace,  and  the  little  Queen  had 
gone  back  to  her  wounded  soldiers  at  La  Panne. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
With  Those  Who  Stayed  Under  the  Germans 

THE  Belgians  who  remained  in  the  country  had  it  hard 
enongh  but  not  in  the  way  most  Americans  imagine. 
The  majority  of  them  lived  in  their  own  homes  and  fol- 
lowed their  own  pursuits.  Lawyers  kept  their  offices,  doc- 
tors saw  their  patients,  priests  went  about  their  parishes. 
Laboring  men  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands  were  thrown 
out  of  work  when  the  mills  closed,  but  some  mills  essen- 
tial to  the  economic  life  of  the  country  did  not  close. 
Farmers  tilled  the  soil  and  got  abnormally  high  prices. 
And  a  great  business  of  food  runners  was  developed  like 
whiskey  running  in  the  United  States.  These  smugglers 
brought  in  things  from  Holland  and  made  huge  profits  in 
which  sometimes  German  sentinels  shared. 

People  walked  the  streets,  sat  in  the  cafes,  rode  on  street 
cars,  and  visited  their  friends  much  as  usual,  and  if  they 
were  not  in  the  zone  of  active  operations  they  could  get 
passes  to  go  to  other  towns.  Their  own  officials  did  busi- 
ness in  the  city  hall  or  town  hall,  their  o^vn  teachers  taught 
school,  their  own  policemen  kept  order,  and  directed  traffic. 
But  this  does  not  mean  that  they  were  free.  It  means 
that  they  were  not  "suffering  atrocities"  all  the  time  as 
some  people  seem  to  imagine. 

The  German  military  authorities  were  the  real  power. 
Xot  even  the  German  Civil  Government  in  Belgium 
amounted  to  much  in  comparison  with  the  military  au- 
thorities. All  manner  of  petty  irksome  restrictions  were 
imposed.  !N'umbers  of  people  who  could  easily  have  ob- 
tained passes  to  the  next  town  would  never  bow  the  head 
enough  to  ask  for  them,  and  so  they  stayed  in  their  own 

217 


218  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

communities.  German  sentinels  guarded  all  important 
points.  Some  streets  were  entirely  closed.  Many  build- 
ings were  taken  over.  German  functionaries,  German 
spies,  German  camp  followers  swarmed  every\vhere.  How- 
ever much  the  Belgian  civil  officials  might  go  through  the 
motions  of  government,  they  had  no  real  power.  And 
railway  stations  as  perhaps  no  other  single  buildings  em- 
phasized the  change.  They  were  closed  to  the  general  pub- 
lic— guarded  by  soldiers,  used  almost  exclusively  by  the 
military  authorities  and  when  troop  trains  were  not  going 
west  or  trains  of  wounded  coming  east,  they  were  great, 
empty,  hollow-sounding  structures  in  the  cities  and  forlorn 
little  places  in  the  country  where  suspicion  and  fear  and 
restraint  seemed  raised  to  their  highest  point. 

With  intercourse  outside  the  country  stopped,  with  their 
own  industries  paralyzed  and  their  agriculture  unable  to 
feed  them,  the  big  question  in  Occupied  Belgium  was 
food  and  clothing.  The  Commission  for  Relief  in  Bel- 
gium under  the  leadership  of  Herbert  Hoover  kept  these 
people  alive.  This  Commissioner  handled  the  stupendous 
questions  of  finance,  purchase,  transport  and  govern- 
mental permissions.  The  Belgian  National  Committee 
under  Emile  Francqui,  organized  in  every  commune  of 
the  country,  did  the  great  work  of  distribution.  This  un- 
official committee  had  real  power.  As  one  Belgian  put  it, 
"Francqui  was  King." 

The  American  Red  Cross,  from  its  position  on  the  other 
side  of  the  fighting  lines,  sent  small  sums  into  Occupied 
Belgium  during  the  latter  part  of  the  war  to  help  the 
Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium  do  special  things.  To 
help  needy  Belgian  journalists,  an  association  was  organ- 
ized called  Association  de  la  Presse  Beige.  vSome  320  men 
representing  68  daily  papers,  refused  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  journals  appearing  under  German  censorship. 
A  number  of  these  men  with  their  families  suffered  se- 
verely. The  King  contributed  from  his  own  purse  10,000 
francs  a  month  to  a  relief  fund  for  them,  the  Minister  of 


THOSE    WHO    STAYED    UNDER  GERMANS  219 

the  Interior  5,000  francs  and  the  American  Red  Cross 
10,000  francs  a  month.  In  July,  1918,  the  Germans  for- 
bade this  aid,  but  the  contributions  were  then  made 
through  Edmond  Patris,  the  moving  spirit  of  the  organi- 
zation at  Le  Havre,  and  he  sent  the  money  in  thi'ough  a 
secret  channeL 

In  1916  Mr.  Hoover  endorsed  the  establishment  in  Lon- 
don of  a  special  fund  for  the  "Doctors  and  Pharmacists  of 
Belgium"  who  were  greatly  needed  in  the  country  but 
who  would  not  accept  help  through  regular  channels.  For 
the  last  four  months  of  1918  we  gave  some  5,000  francs  a 
month  to  this  fund. 

To  help  others  of  the  "unfortunate  and  proud,"  the 
Baroness  de  Woot  had  organized  a  committee  in  Brussels 
called  Secours  aux  Infortunes  which  rendered  valuable 
service. 

Likewise  the  Assistance  Discrete  in  which  Madame 
Haps  was  an  active  force,  took  hold  in  even  a  larger  way 
of  this  same  problem. 

Madame  Baetens,  wife  of  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Com- 
mission for  Relief  in  Belgium,  held  all  these  organiza- 
tions together  and  administered  through  them  and  through 
other  channels  a  special  fund  of  the  Commission  for  Re- 
lief in  Belgium  for  special  needy  cases.  We  helped  all 
these  organizations  during  the  latter  part  of  the  war,  send- 
ing in  through  the  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium 
100,000  francs  a  month  for  Madame  Baetens'  work,  10,- 
000  francs  a  month  for  the  Assistance  Discrete,  and  2,500 
francs  monthly  for  the  work  of  the  Baroness  de  Woot. 
After  the  armistice  we  had  a  chance  to  study  this  work 
at  first  hand,  and  found  it  directed  with  great  public 
spirit  and  intelligence.  Through  the  difficult  weeks  fol- 
lowing the  armistice,  and  especially  in  the  hard  winter  of 
1918-19,  we  made  it  possible  for  these  committees  to  con- 
tinue, giving  our  help  regularly  until  the  office  closed  in 
the  spring  of  1919. 

A  useful  thing  was  done  by  Madame  Haps  in  taking 


220  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

over  Le  Repos  de  Ste.  Elisabeth  at  La  Panne  where  aged 
refugees  lived  so  long  and  turning  it  into  a  sanitarium  for 
working  girls  of  liberated  Belgium  of  the  type  the  Assist- 
ance Discrete  had  been  helping  throughout  the  war.  To 
the  installation  and  maintenance  of  this  project  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  gave  100,000  francs. 

In  Brussels  and  the  other  great  cities  of  the  occupied 
region  we  found  strong,  active  committees  at  work  in 
every  conceivable  kind  of  an  undertaking  to  help  human 
misery.  We  could  not  help  a  quarter  or  a  tenth  of  the 
groups  needing  and  asking  our  help,  but  in  the  five  months 
we  stayed  after  the  occupation,  we  used  the  balance  of  our 
appropriations  in  the  best  ways  open. 

Countess  Jean  d'  Outremont  had  struggled  throughout 
the  w^ar  to  keep  going  an  institution  called  Le  Calvaire, 
for  cancer  patients.  It  was  a  Calvary  up  which  these 
poor  people  walked,  but  the  Countess  and  her  colleagues 
were  like  Ste.  Veronica  wiping  away  a  little  of  the  bloody 
sweat.    We  gave  them  5,000  francs. 

In  the  first  rush  of  the  Germans  in  1914,  Termonde 
had  been  burned  and  three  of  the  inhabitants  had  lost  their 
lives.  While  we  could  not  "rebuild  Belgium,"  we  found 
such  serious  suffering  and  congestion  at  Termonde  in  the 
winter  of  1918-19  that  we  gave  50,000  francs  through  the 
Senator  Emile  Tibbaut  for  the  purchase  of  wood  and  the 
hiring  of  labor  to  construct  50  two-room  houses,  specifying 
that  the  work  must  be  done  under  the  King  Albert  Fund. 

The  Minister  Vandevyvere  called  our  attention  to  the 
importance  of  the  Civil  Hospital  at  Thielt  and  we  visited 
it  promptly  and  found  it  much  damaged  by  shell  fire  and 
by  removal  of  its  furniture.  We  gave  25,000  francs  to- 
ward rebuilding  the  hospital. 

To  the  Civil  Hospital  at  Bruges  we  shipped  a  carload 
of  supplies  as  soon  as  the  city  was  liberated  and  the  first 
rails  laid  across  the  trenches,  which  was  done  in  an  amaz- 
ingly short  time.  We  gave,  through  M.  Coppieters  't 
Wallant,  Commissaire  d'  Arrondissement  of  Bruges,  5,000 


THOSE    WHO    STAYED    UNDER    GERMANS  221 

francs  for  tlio  hospital  and  10^000  francs  for  refugees  in 
Bruges. 

An  American  lady,  married  into  one  of  tlie  oldest 
families  of  the  country,  was  the  Vicomtesse  de  Beughem. 
She  concentrated  her  help  upon  the  lace  makers  of  Flan- 
ders, especially  those  in  danger  of  breaking  down  with 
tuberculosis.  Her  work  was  called  Secours  Urgent  and  one 
of  her  most  active  supporters  was  Mrs.  Brand  Whitlock. 
Mrs.  Vernon  Kellog  has  told  in  "Bobbins  of  Flanders"  the 
story  of  this  wonderful  home  industry  of  lace  making. 

The  Queen,  the  Countess  de  Beughem,  Countess  Van 
den  Steen,  Madame  Hangouvart,  Countess  Louise  d'Ursel 
and  others  worked  hard  throughout  the  war  to  keep  these 
bobbins  busy,  first  of  all  as  a  livelihood  for  thousands  em- 
ployed. But  they  also  sought  to  abolish  the  low  rates 
of  pay  and  the  swarm  of  middlemen  preying  upon  the  in- 
dustry and  to  raise  the  level  of  the  work  in  artistic  ways, 
substituting  beautiful  for  ugly  designs.  We  had  taken 
this  matter  up  through  M.  Ingenbleck,  Secretary  to  the 
Queen,  and  had  given  5,000  francs  to  the  Comite  Dentellier 
Franco-Beige- Americain  to  promote  the  industry  among 
the  Flemish  refugees  in  northern  France.  At  Brussels 
we  gave  20,000  francs  to  this  work  as  directed  by  the 
Countess  de  Beughem. 

The  Countess  Louise  d'Ursel,  who  had  been  at  the 
Belgian  front  the  first  part  of  the  war,  went  back  to 
Brussels  in  1916,  and  devoted  herself  to  saving  babies. 
We  helped  the  Asile  your  les  tous  Petit  in  Brussels,  giv- 
ing 50,000  francs.  Seeing  the  work  of  social  reconstruc- 
tion stretching  ahead  in  Belgium  for  years,  and  the  need 
of  modern  methods,  the  Countess  came  to  the  United 
States  soon  after  the  armistice  and  took  a  course  in  Co- 
lumbia University  and  at  the  New  York  School  of  Phi- 
lanthropy. 

The  brave  Father  Libert  ran  his  institution  for  the 
blind  and  for  deaf  mutes  all  through  the  war  at  Woluwe 
St.  Lambert,  a  suburb  of  Brussels.    The  Red  Cross  helped 


222  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Father  Libert  through  the  trying  days  of  reconstruction 
with  an  appropriation  of  60,000  francs.  N'o  educational 
work  in  Belgium  seemed  more  full  of  promise  than  the 
work  of  these  consecrated  and  progressive  priests  in  sav- 
ing and  training  what  would  otherwise  be  waste  human 
products.  Several  children  blinded  by  the  war  were  sent 
to  Woluwe  and  trained  to  useful  trades. 

In  the  summer  of  1918,  Baden-Powell  of  England  wrote, 
urging  a  drive  in  the  United  States  for  the  Boy  Scouts  of 
Serbia,  Belgium  and  France.  It  was  no  time  to  put  on 
more  drives  and  the  Red  Cross  had  agreed  to  deal  with 
urgent  war  misery  everywhere.  The  inability  of  the  Bel- 
gian Boy  Scouts  to  get  uniforms  after  the  armistice,  the 
prohibitive  cost  of  cloth  in  Belgium,  the  great  importance 
of  the  organization  and  the  keenness  and  patriotism  of 
the  boys  made  us  appropriate  100,000  francs  through 
Pierre  Graux  for  this  purpose.  At  the  same  time,  we  at- 
tempted a  union  of  the  three  branches  of  the  Boy  Scouts  in 
the  country,  two  Catholic  and  one  Liberal ;  this  since  has 
been  accomplished  in  part  through  the  union  of  the  Liberal 
and  one  of  the  Catholic  groups. 

For  four  years  German  Boy  Scouts,  imported  into  the 
country  as  messengers,  tramped  the  lovely  woods  about 
Brussels,  while  the  Belgian  boys  were  forbidden  to  go 
out.     Now,  as  the  Belgians  say,  it  is  une  autre  chose. 

The  universal  desire  to  give  personal  service  throughout 
tke  war,  as  well  as  money,  showed  itself  in  a  group  of 
young  ladies  of  Belgium,  led  by  the  Countess  Jacqueline  de 
Liederkerke,  calling  themselves  Les  Petites  Roses  de  la 
Reine,  who  did  a  work  of  house  to  house  visitation  in  the 
poorer  quarters  of  the  cities  under  supervision  of  the  Na- 
tional Committee,  giving  clothing  and  supplementing  the 
diet  for  the  sick  and  badly  nourished.  Their  budget  grew 
from  5,000  francs  per  year  in  1914  to  60,000  in  1918. 
Their  accounts  and  records  were  admirably  kept.  We 
gave  them  5,000  francs  to  go  on  through  the  difficult  win- 
ter days  after  the  armistice.     There  were  many  such  con- 


THOSE    WHO    STAYED    UNDER     GERMANS  223 

secrated  groups,  the  largest  and  best  known  being  Les 
Petites  Aheilles,  or  "Little  Bees." 

Work  on  a  much  larger  scale  was  done  by  Le  Foyer  des 
Orphelins  which  had  colonies  of  children  in  Brussels, 
Liege,  Mons  and  other  cities.  Emanuel  Janssen,  an  officer 
of  the  ISTational  Committee,  Captain  Graux,  Secretary  of 
the  Queen,  and  Emile  Vandervelde,  Minister  of  Justice, 
joined  in  urging  prompt  help  for  this  work.  We  were  able 
to  appropriate  400,000  francs. 

Mademoiselle  Jeanne  de  Ponthiere,  niece  of  the  Minis- 
ter Berryer,  was  at  the  head  of  a  committee  working  for 
children  in  the  industrial  districts  of  Liege.  The  Red 
Cross  helped  this  committee  with  10,000  francs. 

Another  group  working  among  children  of  laboring  men 
in  Brussels  was  called  Les  Enfants  du  Pewple,  largely  So- 
cialist, just  as  Mile,  de  Ponthiere  and  her  associates  were 
all  Catholic,  but  curiously  enough.  Liberals  not  friendly  to 
either  Catholics  or  Socialists,  urged  both  of  these  works 
upon  us.    AVe  gave  this  work  5,000  francs. 

And  so  it  went:  Les  Enfants  Martyrs,  established  26 
years  before  for  children  starved  or  beaten  at  home,  had  its 
])roperty  taken  over  by  the  Germans  for  a  hospital,  its 
furniture  carried  away,  its  subscriptions  stopped.  We 
helped  reestablish  the  350  boys  and  girls  in  their  home  at 
a  cost  of  40,000  francs,  working  in  this  matter  largely 
through  M.  Eugene  Le  Docte. 

The  Judge  of  the  Juvenile  Court,  Monsieur  Wets,  came 
to  us  for  his  Le  Bergail,  dealing  with  children  whose  par- 
ents were  at  work,  some  of  them  perforce  in  Germany, 
and  supplying  to  the  children  care,  recreation  and  instruc- 
tion from  4  P.  M.  when  school  closed  to  7  P.  M.  when 
the  mother  got  home.    We  gave  Le  Bergail  5,000  francs. 

To  the  Creche  Beige  of  the  Countess  Van  de  Steen  in 
Brussels,  we  gave  10,000  francs  for  a  new  laundry,  to  the 
Creche  Nord-Est,  in  charge  of  Madame  Gabrielle  Vander- 
velde, wife  of  Dr.  Vandervelde,  5,000  francs  for  mainte- 
nance, to  Soeur  Marie  Josephine  at  Eurnes,  5,000  francs  to 


224  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

rebuild  and  refurnish,  her  schoolroom  in  which  many 
of  the  children  of  the  Red  Cross  Colony  of  Recques  are 
now  being  taught.  Through  Dr.  Holemans,  Inspector 
General  of  the  Service  de  Sante  Beige,  we  gave  2,000 
francs  for  the  Ligue  Provinciate  pour  la  Protection  de  la 
Premiere  Enfa^ice  in  Ghent.  But  this  was  only  a  be- 
ginning in  that  great  city.  M.  Anseele,  a  member  of  the 
new  Belgian  Cabinet,  formed  at  the  Chateau  of  Laaken 
just  after  the  armistice,  sought  our  help  for  the  children 
of  Ghent,  many  hundreds  of  whom  he  was  taking  out  of 
the  city  to  recuperate  at  the  seashore.  We  gave  his  com- 
mittee 200,000  francs. 

To  the  Children's  Fund  of  the  Croix  Rouge  de  Bel- 
gique  we  gave  100,000  francs  for  work  especially  among 
debilitated  children  of  Brussels. 

If  it  be  true,  as  we  were  told,  that  the  child  question 
in  Belgium  and  France  is  full  of  dynamite,  then  we  did 
not  step  on  that  dynamite.  The  political  parties  of  Bel- 
gium are  more  alive  to  the  importance  of  saving  and  direct- 
ing the  children  than  in  most  countries.  Each  party  makes 
every  effort  to  get  the  children  under  its  own  direction 
and  to  make  Catholics  or  Liberals  or  Socialists  of  them. 
But  it  was  evident  that  the  best  men  and  women  in  all 
parties  wanted  the  children  saved,  no  matter  who  saved 
them  or  who  profited  by  their  being  saved. 

All  three  parties  wanted  to  make  strong,  efficient  men 
and  women  out  of  these  children  for  the  sake  of  Belgium. 

If  we  had  been  afraid  of  the  dynamite  in  the  children's 
(|uestion  we  would  never  have  got  anywhere.  If  we  had 
tried  to  apologize  to  one  party  for  what  we  had  done 
through  the  agency  of  another  party,  we  would  have  ut- 
terly failed.  If  we  had  ignored  any  important  group, 
we  would  have  lost  control  of  the  situation. 

We  tried  to  be  absolutely  nonpartisan,  independent  and 
friendly  with  everybody.  So  far  as  w^e  had  the  money  and 
the  supplies,  so  far  as  need  could  be  demonstrated  and  so 


3 


c 
a. 

u 

O 


o 


o 
X 

a 

a 


THOSE    WHO    STAYED    UNDER  GERMANS     225 

far  as  the  agency  could  prove  itself  intelligent  and  co- 
operative, we  helped  and  did  it  without  fear  or  favor. 

In  so  doing,  it  is  only  fair  to  say  that  the  American  Red 
Cross  in  Belgium  won  the  confidence,  the  gratitude  and 
even  the  affection  of  all  groups. 

There  was  equally  important  follow-up  work  for  sol- 
diers after  the  armistice.  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen,  took 
the  lead  in  this  and  we  continued  our  appropriations  for 
the  Queen's  Purse  into  the  new  year, 

Madame  .Tohn  de  Mot,  a  brave  American  lady,  was  mar- 
ried to  one  of  the  most  gallant  of  Belgian  gentlemen,  a 
private  soldier,  killed  just  at  the  very  end  of  the  war. 
Madame  De  Mot,  who  had  been  nursing  at  the  front,  threw 
in  her  lot  with  her  husband's  country,  reopened  her  home 
in  Brussels  and  organized  a  committee  to  visit  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  in  the  hospitals,  to  which  work  we 
appropriated  10,000  francs. 

What  w^e  did  in  Germany  for  the  men  of  the  Army  of 
Occupation  has  already  been  described  in  the  chapter 
"For  Those  Who  Held  the  Line." 

The  ISTursing  Home  in  Brussels  to  which  Edith  Cavell 
had  been  attached,  had  been  named  after  her.  It  had  not 
only  trained  nurses  but  given  help  to  wounded  soldiers 
within  the  country.  We  appropriated  10,000  francs  to 
help  this  institution. 

Madame  Hymans'  Famille  de  VInfiriniere,  which  we 
had  helped  at  Dieppe  in  France,  wanted  to  move  back  to 
Brussels  and  carry  on  work  for  nurses  of  the  war,  many 
of  whom  were  still  at  the  task  of  caring  for  the  wounded. 
We  appropriated  85,000  francs  for  the  new  installation. 

Madame  Hymans,  wife  of  the  Minister,  Madame  Dar- 
denne,  who  had  served  with  us  at  Le  Havre,  and  Mademoi- 
selle Carter,  head  of  one  of  the  public  schools  of  Brussels 
during  the  occupation,  took  up  the  condition  of  public 
school  teachers.  On  small  pay  and  in  a  period  of  fan- 
tastic prices,  these  public  servants  had  worked  during  the 
war,  never  getting  adequate  nourishment.    Many  of  them 


226  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

took  their  noon  day  meal  at  the  public  soup  kitchens. 
They  cooperated  loyally  with  the  IIoover-Francqui  feeding, 
rendering  valuable  assistance.  After  the  war  many  were 
broken  down,  enfeebled  and  predisposed  to  tuberculosis. 

With  our  appropriation  of  23,000  francs,  these  ladies 
organized  a  rest  home  for  school  teachers,  which  caught 
the  attention  of  the  public,  has  been  w^ell  supported,  and 
has  done  important  work. 

Belgium  had  some  10,000  political  prisoners  besides  the 
40,000  soldier  prisoners. 

On  April  7,  1919,  the  Secretary  General  in  charge  of 
Prisoners  of  War,  reported  that  all  of  these  had  returned 
except  ten  not  transportable. 

At  the  same  time,  the  2,000  or  3,000  deported  for  labor, 
were  liberated.  It  was  as  if  a  great  magician  had  waved 
a  wand  so  suddenly  did  they  appear.  With  them  came 
Russians,  French,  British,  Italians,  Americans  and  others, 
streaming  into  Belgium,  moving  officially  in  box  cars  and 
unofficially  on  foot.  We  sent  supplies  to  all  the  military 
canteens  between  Brussels  and  the  Rhine  for  these  wan- 
dering, w^ondering  thousands,  some  of  whom  moved  as  in 
a  dream,  "saw  men  as  trees  walking,"  and  traveled  on  the 
homing  instinct  which  guides  the  dog  and  pigeon  and 
which  man  has,  at  least  in  embryo. 

M.  Masson,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Brussels,  started 
home  from  Germany  when  the  doors  of  his  prison  opened. 
A  train  took  him  to  Holland,  but  he  could  not  cross  the 
frontier.  Back  around  by  Aix-la-Chapelle  he  made  his 
way  again,  and  at  last  on  foot,  came  to  the  Belgian  border. 
He  asked  for  Belgian  soldiers,  found  his  way  to  a  com- 
pany nearby,  humbly  asked  permission  of  the  Lieutenant 
to  telephone  to  Brussels  to  tell  his  friends  and  ask  help, 
when  an  officer  passed  who  recognized  him  and  saluted 
him  as  M.  le  Ministre.  "Minister,"  said  Masson,  "what 
Minister?"  "Why,  don't  you  know,"  said  his  friend,  "I 
saw  it  in  the  morning  paper.  The  King  has  made  you 
Minister  of  War  in  the  new  Cabinet."     There  was  one 


THOSE    WHO    STAYED    UNDER    GERxMANS    227 

refugee  at  least  to  whom  soldiers  presented  arms,  whom 
officers  attended  in  person,  and  for  wliom  the  fastest  mili- 
tary car  was  supplied. 

Mr.  Alfred  Goldschmidt,  of  Brussels,  for  two  years  a 
prisoner  in  Germany,  on  liberation,  became  Treasurer  of 
the  Federatio7i  Nationale  des  Prisonniers  Politiques  de  la 
Guerre.    He  wrote  us  as  follows : 

"I  call  your  attention  to  the  unhappy  condition  of 
Belgian  political  prisoners  returning  to  their  country. 
Some  are  entirely  iDroken  in  health,  others  have  lost  their 
business  and  have  nothing  with  which  to  begin  life  again. 
They  have  suffered  for  their  loyalty  to  the  cause  of  the 
Allies.  They  have  been  confined  for  spreading  informa- 
tion or  assisting  boys  to  escape  to  join  the  army,  or  for 
helping  in  other  ways  to  maintain  the  spirit  of  Belgian 
independence  against  German  aggressors." 

We  appropriated  60,000  francs  to  help  these  unfor- 
tunates. 

The  Belgians  worked  hard,  and  worked  in  unison  to 
relieve  the  misery  and  repair  the  ravages  of  the  war. 

The  American  Red  Cross  was  with  them  helping  in  the 
first  trying  months  of  liberation.  To  such  good  purpose 
did  all  pull  together  that  when  we  left  a  shrewd  observer 
said  that  which  subsequent  events  have  proved  true: 
"The  Belgians  are  coming  strong  and  coming  fast,  and 
will  be  on  their  feet  first  of  all." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

The  Reopening  of  tlie  Universities 

THE  universities  stayed  perforce  under  the  Germans. 
Faculties  were  divided.  Some  professors  got  away 
and  some  had  to  stay.  But  the  students  were  gone.  Down 
on  the  Yser  were  these  boys  of  Louvain,  Brussels,  Liege 
and  Ghent.  With  them  were  some  of  the  professors,  nearly 
all  in  khaki,  too. 

Louvain  is  Catholic,  Brussels  is  "free"  or  Liberal, 
while  Liege  and  Ghent  are  state  universities,  but  for  over 
30  years  that  has  meant  Catholic  also.  American  sympa- 
thy went  out  especially  to  the  Belgian  universities.  Pro- 
fessors here  united  to  invite  over  to  the  United  States  Bel- 
gian professors  among  the  refugees  and  to  find  them  work. 

The  burning  of  the  library  of  Louvain,  the  loss  of  its 
priceless  treasures,  and  the  fact  that  the  university  is 
under  Cardinal  Mercier,  aroused  American  sympathy  for 
this  institution,  and  citizens  of  the  United  States  contrib- 
uted some  2,000,000  francs  toward  the  fund  for  re- 
building. 

The  University  of  Brussels  has  aroused  interest  also 
in  the  United  States  because  of  its  freedom  from  political 
or  sectarian  control,  and  also  because  the  brave  burgomas- 
ter of  Brussels,  M.  Max,  is  at  the  head  of  the  Board  of 
Control. 

In  January,  1919,  this  university  opened  its  doors 
after  being  closed  four  and  one  half  years.  With  accom- 
modations for  1,200,  it  enrolled  2,500.  Among  the  stu- 
dents were  many  in  khaki  whom  the  government  did  not 
dare  demobilize  as  yet,  but  whom  it  stationed  at  Brussels 
so  that  tliey  might  resume  their  studies.     At  the  opening 

228 


THE  REOPENING  OF  THE  UNIVERSITIES  229 

oxercises  before  a  crowded  hall,  Burgomaster  Max,  recently 
back  from  prison,  presided  and  the  speaker  was  the  vener- 
able and  beloved  Rector,  Dr.  Paul  Heger,  w^ho  had 
watched  over  the  university  during  the  occupation  and  who 
now  welcomed  the  faculty  and  students  back.  "The  in- 
terest and  enthusiasm  of  students,"  said  Dr.  Ileger,  "is 
the  most  touching  of  post-war  phenomena.  It  seems  as  if 
these  young  men  were  trying  to  make  up  for  time  lost 
in  war." 

On  the  wall,  back  of  the  speakers'  platform,  had  been 
placed  the  names  of  the  students  of  the  university  who 
had  enlisted  in  the  Belgian  Army  and  who  had  died  for 
their  country.  Some  of  these  boys,  caught  in  the  country 
by  the  German  occupation,  had  made  their  way  out  with 
enormous  danger,  running  the  frontier,  passing  over  or 
under  the  electric  barriers  w^hich  to  touch  was  death,  tak- 
ing the  long  journey  to  Holland,  England,  France  and  so 
up  to  the  army  on  the  Yser.  The  names  of  the  dead  were 
read  out  by  departments,  those  in  law,  in  medicine,  in 
science,  in  engineering,  amid  scenes  of  indescribable  solem- 
nity and  pathos.  "These  were  the  boys,"  said  an  old  man, 
"who  will  never  fight  disease,  plead  causes,  dam  rivers  or 
drain  swamps,  but  they  made  it  possible  for  these  living 
boys  to  do  all  those  things." 

The  message  of  the  dead  to  the  living  had  been  in- 
scribed on  the  wall  above  their  names :  "Brothers  so  live 
that  w^e  shall  not  have  died  in  vain." 

We  made  an  appropriation  of  100,000  francs  to  the 
University  of  Brussels  to  purchase'  material  and  equip- 
ment for  laboratories  and  to  help  it  get  started. 

During  the  summer  of  1921,  the  Rockefeller  Founda- 
tion made  a  contract  with  the  University  of  Brussels  by 
which  it  appropriates  40,000,000  francs,  with  a  possibil- 
ity of  even  more  for  medical  education  in  Belgium  through 
this  institution.  That  the  university  itself  wants  the 
high  standards  the  Foundation  requires  and  that  the 
Foundation  has  the  vision,  the  powder  and  the  disposition 


230  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

to  render  such  service  througlioiit  the  world,  is  one  of  the 
most  cheering  facts  in  modern  life. 

We  appropriated  also  20,000  francs  for  the  medical 
clinics  and  20,000  francs  for  the  surgical  clinics  of  the 
University  of  Liege.  The  Germans  had  cut  the  water 
and  gas  pipes,  had  removed  electric  fixtures  and  belts  from 
machinery  and  had  damaged  some  instruments  and  carried 
others  away.  As  Liege  is  a  State  institution,  repair  and 
support  were  tasks  of  the  State,  which  we  did  not  desire 
to  undertake.  We  did  simply  a  few  urgent  things  which 
enabled  the  professors  to  start  work  while  governmental 
machinery  was  getting  ready  to  function. 

Dr.  Louis  Delrez,  head  of  the  surgical  clinic  of  Liege, 
had  been  with  us  on  the  Yser.  We  had  seen  his  work.  He 
had  taken  a  patella  from  a  dead  soldier  and  grafted  it  on 
to  a  living  soldier.  He  had  taken  tendons  also  from  the 
dead  and  given  them  to  men  whose  tendons  had  been  de- 
stroyed by  shells.  In  one  case  a  piece  of  tendon  four 
inches  long  inserted  in  the  hand  of  a  pianist  had  restored 
normal  control  of  the  fingers  at  the  instrument  and  given 
the  man  back  his  livelihood.  His  patients  walked  on  arti- 
ficial legs  seven  or  eight  days  after  amputation.  Belgium 
needed  this  teacher  back  at  work  and  the  help  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  made  it  possible. 

Professor  Beco,  head  of  the  medical  clinic,  had  been 
kept  in  the  country.  He  was  greatly  needed  and  did  valu- 
able work. 

Professor  Jacques  Roskam,  his  assistant,  had  fought 
contagion  and  other  civilian  illness  in  Free  Belgium  and 
was  given  the  American  Red  Cross  medal  for  distinguished 
service.  And  we  likewise  knew  of  Liege  and  its  needs 
through  Dr.  Pierre  ISTolf,  one  of  the  most  famous  of  all  the 
medical  men  of  Belgium,  to  whom  the  Red  Cross  medal 
was  also  given,  with  the  citation  printed  in  an  Appendix 
of  this  book. 

The  teachers  and  students  of  Belgium  have  had  stern 
discipline  in  the  school  of  the  soldier.     They  have  been 


THE  REOPENING  OF  THE  UNIVERSITIES  231 

shaken  out  of  routine  and  put  into  contact  with  the  huge 
elemental  forces  which  broke  up  the  old  world.  They  are 
now  at  the  task  of  rebuilding  the  new.  Those  of  us  who 
saw  them  "tried  in  the  furnace,"  are  full  of  hope  for  the 
future. 


CHAPTER  XXX 
Cardinal  Mercier 

THROUGH  the  long  years  that  the  King  was  on  the 
Yser,  Cardinal  Mercier  was  in  his  Episcopal  palace 
at  Malines,  the  Archbishop  of  Malines,  and  the  spiritnal 
leader  of  all  Belgium.  He  was  the  incarnation  of  the 
spirit  of  wise  and  courageous  resistance  to  German  domi- 
nation. 

A  clergj-man  would  not  have  been  expected  to  know  how 
to  deal  with  difficult  affairs  of  state.  A  great  scholar,  a 
professor  of  philosophy,  a  specialist  in  the  teachings  of 
Thomas  Aquinas,  would  especially  have  been  considered 
too  far  removed  from  the  swirling  movements  of  world 
politics  to  play  a  great  part. 

And  as  for  doing  it  in  war  time,  it  was  unthinkable. 

But  it  was  this  scholar,  this  ascetic,  this  classroom 
teacher,  this  churchman  of  churchmen,  who  stepped  for- 
ward in  a  great  crisis  and  played  his  part  with  a  skill,  a 
courage,  a  profound  wisdom  that  baffled  the  Germans  and 
made  him  one  of  the  great  figures  of  history. 

Cardinal  Mercier  could  perhaps  have  led  the  masses  into 
futile  riot  and  made  Occupied  Belgium  a  shambles. 

Or  he  could  have  counseled  hopeless  submission  so  that 
the  heroic  King  and  his  soldiers  would  have  found  little 
left  when  they  came  back.  But  he  helped  hold  Occupied 
Belgium  to  a  pathway  of  calmness,  of  dignity,  of  submis- 
sion to  the  German  ruler  while  at  the  same  time  they  never 
acknowledged  or  accepted  him. 

"Let  us  not  mistake  bravado  for  bravery,"  he  said,  "nor 
tumult  for  courage.  Let  us  conduct  ourselves  with  all 
needful  forbearance. 

232 


CARDINAL  MERCIER  233 

"You  owe  to  the  enemy  neither  esteem  nor  affection,  nor 
confidence;  we  owe  external  obedience  as  long  as  it  is  not 
against  our  conscience." 

But  over  and  over  he  predicted  victory  for  the  Belgians 
and  exhorted  the  people  to  stand  firm. 

Once  even  (in  1916)  he  dared  say  in  the  old  church  of 
Ste.  Gudule  in  Brussels,  on  the  86th  Anniversary  of  Bel- 
gian independance.  "Fourteen  years  from  today  our 
restored  cathedrals  and  our  rebuilt  churches  will  be  thrown 
widely  open;  the  crowds  will  surge  in;  our  King  Albert, 
standing  upon  his  throne,  will  bow  his  unconquered  head 
before  the  King  of  Kings;  the  Queen  and  royal  princes 
will  surround  him.  .  .  .  Throughout  the  whole  country 
under  the  vaulted  arches  of  our  churches,  Belgians  hand 
in  hand  will  renew  their  vows  to  their  God,  their  sover- 
eign and  their  liberty.  Today  the  hymn  of  joy  dies  on 
our  lips.  The  hour  of  deliverance  approaches  but  it  has 
not  yet  struck.  Let  us  be  patient.  Let  us  not  suffer  our 
courage  to  waver." 

Though  the  Germans  went  up  against  him  time  after 
time,  set  guards  about  his  palace,  refused  him  permission 
to  use  his  car,  kept  him  from  moving  freely  throughout 
his  diocese,  they  never  really  dared  to  make  him  a  pris- 
oner. A  German  officer  would  come  to  him  raging  over  an 
utterance  and  demand  an  explanation,  and  the  Cardinal 
would  leave  him  while  he  said  mass  in  the  church.  The 
officer  would  demand  an  immediate  reply  and  the  Cardinal 
would  leave  him  waiting  all  day  while  he  composed  an 
answer  for  the  Governor  General,  which  that  official  did 
not  know  how  to  handle.  There  were  too  many  Catholics 
in  Germany  for  German  Governors  and  Generals  to  go 
too  far. 

And  so  we  found  him  at  Malines  when  Belgium  was 
liberated.  There  was  no  disillusionment  in  meeting  him 
and  studying  his  work.  He  had  a  great  multitude  of  poor 
in  his  own  parish  to  whom  he  was  ministering.  Almost 
immediately  he  had  the  additional  burden  of  returning 


23i  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

refugees.  With  him  and  with  a  most  able  and  charming 
Dominican  priest,  Pere  Kntten,  we  went  into  the  needs  of 
his  work  and  made  an  appropriation  for  it  of  100,000 
francs. 

We  made  our  appropriation  to  him  as  a  great  relief 
worker  whose  knowledge  of  the  field  and  whose  ability  to 
administer  was  unsurpassed.  He  was  not  always  busy 
opposing  Germans.  He  was  caring  for  his  flock  and 
his  flock  included  nearly  everybody  in  that  region. 

We  felt  confldence  in  his  sagacity  and  his  methods,  as 
well  as  in  his  kindness  of  heart. 

The  more  one  meets  and  studies  and  investigates  Cardi- 
nal Mercier,  the  more  one  respects  him. 

What  the  Cardinal  preached  he  practiced.  He  is  no 
jolly  red-faced  monk  eating  capons  and  drinking  rich 
wine,  while  his  people  have  black  bread.  He  is  abstem- 
ious at  the  table — simple  in  all  his  ways — both  cordial  and 
dignified,  and  one  recognizes  him  in  the  first  moment  of 
an  interview  as  a  man  of  God. 

"And  for  you,  ladies,"  he  said,  during  the  war  to  a 
great  congregation,  "were  you  to  make  a  show  of  abun- 
dance at  a  time  when  your  sisters  have  only  clogs  and 
threadbare  garments,  be  sure  that  you  would  offend  God, 
your  country,  and  the  dignity  of  the  poor.  Make  the  sub- 
stance of  your  sacrifice  out  of  your  personal  sufferings 
and  your  national  sufferings,  as  well  as  out  of  all  the 
actions  of  your  lives." 

That  which  gave  power  to  Albert  and  Elizabeth  gave 
power  to  Cardinal  Mercier — he  shared  the  sufferings  and 
dangers  of  his  people.  Than  that  there  is  no  greater  se- 
cret of  leadership. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

The  Great  Ambassador 

TO  the  Belgians  who  lived  under  the  German  rule. 
Brand  Whitlock  was  a  rock  of  defense.  He  symbol- 
ized America,  in  the  background,  watching,  helping,  ready 
to  leap  at  the  Germans  if  they  went  too  far.  When  others 
could  not  communicate,  his  couriers  went  out  into  that 
great  unkno^\^l  world  from  which  they  were  cut  off.  His 
car  went  through  the  country.  His  flag  was  hung  out  in 
Brussels.  He  himself  could  be  seen  every  day  going 
about  his  work. 

In  moments  of  unusual  stress  or  fear,  the  Belgians 
knew  that  Whitlock  was  working  for  them,  protesting  to 
the  German  authorities,  cabling  his  own  government,  and 
conferring  with  his  close  friend,  the  gallant  and  able  Span- 
ish Minister,  Villalobar. 

His  own  book,  ''Belgium  Under  the  German  Occupa- 
tion," tells  the  tragic,  romantic  story  so  that  we  almost  live 
there  ourselves  under  the  Germans,  mock  with  street  gam- 
ins, slink  about  with  spys,  tremble  over  passports,  work 
with  Hoover  and  his  men,  plan  secretly  to  circumvent  the 
Germans,  laugh  over  their  rage  and  weep  for  the  victims 
of  their  fury. 

There  will  be  the  Whitlock  of  legend  for  long  years  in 
Belgium. 

He  didn't  do  half  the  things  which  the  common  people 
whispered  that  he  had  done,  but  what  they  whispered  was 
true  nevertheless.  It  illustrated  what  he  did  do  and  what 
he  was  to  them. 

When  the  United  States  went  into  the  war,  Mr.  Whit- 
lock stayed  in  Brussels  for  two  m.onths  after  the  rupture  of 

235 


236  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

diplomatic  relations  with  Germany.  He  refused  to  go 
until  lie  could  take  witli  him  the  Consuls  and  members  of 
the  Commission  for  Kelief  in  Belgium.  When  he  gets 
ready  to  tell  the  story  of  those  months  and  the  difficulties 
he  had,  it  will  be  worth  reading.  But  when  he  went,  his 
car  was  the  last  in  the  special  train,  the  Americans  were 
in  the  cars  ahead,  and  the  arrangements  had  been  com- 
pleted with  Dutch  and  Spanish  neutrals  to  look  after 
the  huge  task  of  feeding  w^hich  had  to  go  on. 

When  the  long  trip  through  Germany,  Switzerland,  and 
France  was  over  and  they  reached  Havre  with  Mrs.  Whit- 
lock,  he  went  to  La  Panne  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  King. 

They  were  received  in  the  little  villa  on  the  seashore 
by  their  Majesties  and  had  luncheon  with  them.  Then  Mr. 
Whitlock  was  closeted  for  an  hour  or  more  with  the  King. 
^Nobody  ever  knew  what  was  said  during  that  hour.  There 
is  a  seal  of  confidence  upon  interviews  with  royalty.  But 
some  day  that  seal  ought  to  be  broken  for  the  sake  of  his- 
tory. The  King  gave  him  the  Grand  Order  of  the  Crown 
of  Leopold,  the  highest  distinction  that  can  be  awarded. 

During  this  visit,  Mr.  W^hitlock  took  Mrs.  Whitlock  to 
the  front,  and  Mrs.  Whitlock  was  one  of  the  few  Ameri- 
can women  under  fire  in  the  trenches. 

A  touching  incident  occurred  at  Houthem,  the  Belgian 
General  Headquarters.  Mr.  Whitlock  was  presented  to 
General  Rucquoy,  who  was  then  Chief  of  the  General  Staff 
and  commanding  the  Belgian  Army.  W^hen  he  heard  his 
name,  the  General  burst  into  tears.  His  wife  and  chil- 
dren were  inside  Belgium  under  the  Germans,  and  some- 
how or  other  he  had  got  word  out,  of  what  Whitlock  had 
done  for  them  and  for  all  the  other  people,  and  the  whole 
memory  was  too  much  for  him. 

The  life  at  Le  Havre  was  totally  different  for  the  Minis- 
ter. At  Brussels,  he  was  Minister  to  a  country  without 
a  government.  At  Le  Havre,  he  was  Minister  to  a  govern- 
ment without  much  of  its  country.     In  the  one  place  he 


THE  GREAT  AMBASSADOR  237 

was  an  Envoy  Extraordinary  to  the  people  and  in  the 
other  place,  to  a  Cabinet. 

But  he  had  the  chance  to  render  service  while  he  waited 
for  the  glad  summons  back  to  Brussels  eighteen  or  nine- 
teen months  away. 

Every  now  and  then  he  was  at  the  front  to  see  the  King 
or  with  De  Broqueville  of  the  cabinet,  at  his  old  chateau 
at  Steen. 

The  house  at  Le  Havre  became  a  meeting  place  for 
Belgians,  Americans  and  British.  General  Nicholson, 
Commander  of  the  British  Base,  General  Coulter,  Com- 
mander of  the  American  Base,  members  of  the  Belgian 
Cabinet  and  their  families  all  liked  to  come.  There  they 
were  apt  to  find  Americans  passing  through  who  wanted 
to  see  "Brand  Whitlock  who  really  faced  the  Germans," 
or  to  meet  Red  Cross  or  Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers,  or  young 
officers  attached  to  our  base. 

Various  celebrations  were  organized  by  the  Belgians  at 
Le  Havre  in  honor  of  the  United  States  and  in  salute  of 
our  flag,  and  Whitlock  was  always  there  to  receive  the 
salute. 

One  of  the  things  they  all  like  to  recall  is  the  banquet 
they  gave  him  at  the  Hotellerie  w^here  the  Ministers  lived. 
Whitlock  not  only  replied  to  the  tributes  in  faultless 
French,  but  toward  the  end  he  dropped  into  the  Belgian 
vernacular  and  even  used  a  little  Brussels  slang  which 
brought  thunderous  applause. 

When  the  great  day  of  liberation  came,  the  first  thing 
the  Brussels  authorities  did  was  to  send  Mr.  Whitlock  a 
telegram  at  Le  Havre  signed  by  Burgomaster  Max.  With 
incredible  difficulty  he  got  to  Brussels  for  the  entry  of  the 
King  and  Queen,  bringing  the  British  Minister  through 
the  old  No-Man's  Land,  where  his  car  had  failed  him. 
Within  the  next  few  months,  Mr.  Whitlock  was  made  a 
burgher  of  the  cities  of  Brussels,  Antwerp,  Liege  and 
Ghent,  with  imposing  ceremonies;  a  Doctor  of  Laws  of 
the  University  of  Brussels ;  a  member  of  the  Royal  Acad- 


238  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

emy,  and  was  received  in  solemn  session  by  the  two  houses 
of  Parliament,  to  receive  the  thanks  of  the  Belgian  Govern- 
ment. A  medallion  was  struck  in  his  honor,  and  his  bust 
by  Rombeaux,  greatest  of  Belgian  sculptors,  was  placed 
in  the  halls  of  Parliament. 

All  that  a  grateful  people  could  do  they  did  to  show 
undying  gratitude. 

The  reception  by  the  joint  session  of  Parliament  was 
a  brilliant  scene.  Said  a  Belgium  writer,  "In  the  body 
of  the  chamber  were  gathered  the  Ministers  of  State,  the 
Senators  and  Deputies,  and  on  the  platform  were  the 
President  of  the  Senate,  the  President  of  the  Chamber, 
and  the  Minister,  with  the  other  protecting  Ministers. 
The  tribunes  were  filled  with  a  distinguished  gathering,  in- 
cluding the  members  of  the  diplomatic  corps  and  their 
wives,  the  members  of  the  Comite  National,  the  directors 
of  the  Societe  Generale  and  the  Banque  Nationale,  ofli- 
cers  of  the  Allied  Armies,  and  many  well  known  repre- 
sentatives from  public  and  private  life.  The  President  of 
the  Senate  made  the  opening  address  and  he  was  followed 
by  the  Prime  Minister,  who  was  in  turn  followed  by  the 
President  of  the  Chamber.  The  Minister  (Mr.  Whit- 
lock)  responded  in  French  and  his  speech  was  frequently 
interrupted  by  the  enthusiastic  demonstration  of  the  whole 
assembly." 

He  spoke  of  Hoover,  of  Solvay  and  Francqui,  who  had 
worked  with  Hoover,  of  President  Wilson,  of  the  indom- 
itable spirit  of  the  population  led  by  the  burgomasters  and 
fired  by  the  flame  of  patriotism,  held  aloft  in  the  pious 
hands  of  the  Great  Cardinal,  and  of  the  King  who  had 
established  his  kingdom  in  the  heart  of  every  man  who 
knows  the  word  honor.  He  called  up  the  figures  of  the 
young  men  who  had  died  for  their  country,  who  had  tried 
to  cross  the  electric  barricade  of  the  frontier,  who  had 
fallen  on  the  Yser  and  all  the  victims  of  war  shot  in  the 
prisons  by  the  Germans,  and  then  set  up  the  ideal  of 
making  the  world  worthy  of  them. 


THE  GREAT  AMBASSADOR  239 

What  had  been  a  tribute  to  himself,  he  turned  into  a 
solemn  and  impressive  tribute  to  others. 

It  was  characteristic  of  Brand  Whitlock  to  make  that 
kind  of  a  speech  and  through  his  command  of  French,  his 
gift  of  real  eloquence  and  the  circumstances  of  his  service, 
he  could  do  it  as  could  few  other  men. 

When,  after  the  armistice,  the  Commissioner  to  Bel- 
gium was  asked  by  Washing-ton  to  make  at  once  his  recom- 
mendations of  names  to  receive  American  Red  Cross 
medals,  he  wrote  this  of  Brand  Whitlock : 

"Brand  Whitlock,  American  Minister  to  Belgium,  re- 
ceived the  Commission  to  Belgium  at  Le  Havre,  then  the 
seat  of  the  Belgian  Government.  He  presented  us  to  the 
President  of  the  Council  (Prime  Minister),  other  officials 
and  people  important  for  us  to  know.  He  placed  himself, 
his  office  and  all  his  influence  at  our  disposal.  Refusing  to 
let  his  name  be  printed  officially  as  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mission, he  became  such  in  fact.  Both  at  Le  Havre  and 
upon  our  return  to  Brussels,  he  put  all  he  knew  about 
men  and  events  freely  at  our  service.  By  his  unchanging 
confidence  he  strengthened  our  morale.  By  his  clear  vision 
he  helped  us  to  find  the  path  of  real  service.  The  Com- 
mission to  Belgium  recommends  to  the  War  Council  that 
he  be  granted  the  American  Red  Cross  Silver  Medal  for 
distinguished  service  in  the  war." 

This  award  was  promptly  made  and  Mr.  Whitlock  was 
notified.  When,  however,  a  committee  on  awards  at 
Washington  took  up  the  whole  subject^  they  decided 
promptly  to  award  no  medals  to  Americans  because  of 
the  fact  that  in  Europe  thousands,  and  in  the  United 
States  millions  had  rendered  consecrated  service.  Learn- 
ing of  this  wise  decision,  Mr.  Whitlock  wrote  at  once 
asking  that  the  award  to  him  be  withdra^vn  and  that  he 
stand  with  his  countrymen  undistingTiished  in  this  way. 

Said  a  prominent  member  of  the  Belgian  Govermnent 
on  a  visit  to  Washington  in  1921,  ''Why  should  the  United 
States  ever  withdraw  Brand  Whitlock  as  Ambassador  to 


2-iO  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

Belgium  as  long  as  he  is  willing  to  stay?  He  can  have 
anything  we  can  give  him.  He  can  say  practically  any- 
thing he  chooses.  His  influence  in  Belgium  is  enormous. 
He  stayed  with  us  under  the  Germans  and  was  our  rock 
of  defense.    The  people  never  will  forget  him." 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

The  Americans  Come  to  Flanders 

FOR  a  year  after  we  went  over,  there  were  no  American 
combat  troops  in  Flanders.  At  Le  Havre  we  began 
to  see  them  come  in,  first  slowly  and  then  with  a  great 
rush.  The  Paris  office  had  charge  of  welfare  work  for 
American  soldiers  undertaken  by  the  American  Red  Cross 
and  all  that  we  of  the  Belgian  Commission  could  do  was 
to  cooperate  and  supplement.  Up  at  the  Flanders  front, 
there  were  a  few  doctors  and  nurses  coming  and  going 
at  La  Panne,  serving  and  studying  at  the  great  Ocean 
Hospital.  There  was  the  American  Military  Mission  to 
the  Belgian  Army,  with  Captain  Wm.  Penn  Cresson  in 
charge  and  finally  young  Lieutenant  Pendleton  as  assist- 
ant. Pendleton  went  out  one  night  with  a  raiding  party  of 
Belgians,  fought  like  a  young  demon,  and  got  scratched 
by  a  piece  of  shell  on  the  cheek.  The  next  morning  the 
tall  figure  of  the  King  came  down  the  ward  of  the  hospital 
at  Vinckem  with  the  Belgian  Croix  de  Guerre  in  his  hand 
which  he  pinned  on  Pendleton's  breast  himself  as  a  trib- 
ute to  his  courage  and  to  the  fact  that  he  was  the  first 
American  to  be  wounded  on  the  Belgian  front.  Later  that 
day  the  Queen  also  called  to  see  him,  bringing  him  some 
of  her  roses  and  showing  the  deepest  interest  in  his  exploit. 
Meanwhile  the  Red  Cross  was  getting  off  cables  to  his 
people  that  he  was  all  right. 

An  American  seaplane  base  was  established  at  Dunkirk 
and  a  second  one  a  little  later  on  the  Calais  road  a  little 
further  back.  We  began  to  see  our  flyers  doing  their  best 
with  clumsy,  old,  outgrown  French  machines,  but  suffering 
many  accidents.     A  boy  burned  up  in  Dunkirk  streets 

241 


242  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

as  we  came  driving  in  one  day.  The  engine  failed,  and 
he  crashed  first  on  a  roof  and  then  into  the  street.  An- 
other boy,  Lasher,  a  Union  College  student,  fell  out  at 
sea,  broke  his  leg,  lost  his  front  observer,  and  nearly 
drowned,  being  held  up  by  his  rear  observer  until  another 
seaplane  could  take  him  in.  A  second  plane  lay  out  in  the 
channel  some  20  miles  from  Dunkirk  until  a  pigeon  re- 
leased with  a  message,  brought  help. 

We  began  to  hear  other  thrilling  tales  born  of  sea  and 
flight  and  war.  A  plane  was  down  and  needed  help.  A 
launch  with  a  crew  of  seven  men  went  out  from  the  base 
at  Dunkirk.  By  wireless  it  learned  that  some  one  else 
had  the  plane  and  started  back.  It  was  a  perfect  Sunday 
afternoon,  sun  shining,  sea  blue,  little  white  caps  dancing 
on  the  water  as  the  launch  came  in.  At  last  the  ofiicer  in 
command  said,  "There  is  Bourbourg,"  but  it  wasn't.  It 
was  ISTieuport.  And  they  said,  "There  is  Dunkirk  and  the 
base,"  but  it  was  Ostend  and  the  Germans.  And  they 
steered  straight  toward  the  German  guns  until  they  were 
trapped.  They  were  directly  off  ISTieuport-Bains  where 
the  trenches  reached  the  l!^orth  Sea.  Shells  fell  all  around 
and  they  jumped.  It  was  just  in  time  for  there  was  a  di- 
rect hit  on  the  launch.  A  French  plane  came  down  and 
got  one  of  the  seven.  Two  were  drowned.  Two,  one  of 
them  the  big  powerful  doctor  in  command,  got  to  the 
German  lines  safely.  Two  others  sw^am  toward  the  Bel- 
gian-British lines  and  made  it,  one  being  brought  in  safely 
by  an  English  doctor  who  swam  out  to  get  him. 

We  gave  some  2,000  or  3,000  francs  for  the  recreation 
fund  at  this  base.  They  had  no  need  of  more.  We  took  a 
sick  man  out  for  them  by  motor  to  Paris.  A  finer  body 
of  officers  and  men  it  would  be  hard  to  find  anywhere. 

Then  up  came  the  Lafayette  Escadrille,  just  back  of 
Dunkirk,  and  we  began  to  see  their  planes.  We  saw  some- 
thing of  Major  Charles  J.  Biddle  of  Philadelphia  when  he 
fell  near  Ypres,  and  lay  for  weeks  in  the  Ocean  Hospital. 

General  Harts  came  up  from  his  post  as  head  of  the 


THE   AMERICANS   COME   TO   FLANDERS     243 

American  Military  IMission  to  the  British  Army,  and 
said,  "I  have  studied  !Nieuport  and  the  water  defenses  of 
the  Yser,  I  think  the  Belgians  show  technical  and  engi- 
neering skill  of  the  highest  kind  in  their  water  defenses. 
And  they  are  much  better  soldiers  than  we  have  realized." 
All  these  were  forerunners.  In  1918,  the  whole  appear- 
ance of  the  country  between  Le  Havre  or  Paris  and  La 
Panne  changed.  Where  there  had  been  Belgian  or  British 
camps,  we  found  Americans.  Where  there  had  been 
French  sentries  or  smart  Tommies,  we  found  a 
new  lot  of  American  military  police  just  starting 
in.  And  then  all  at  once,  without  warning,  the 
Americans  reached  the  British  sector  of  Flanders. 
The  27th  Division  of  N^ew  York  troops  came 
under  Major  General  John  F.  O'Ryan  and  we  began  to 
run  into  them  at  little  villages  like  Oudezele  and  at  the 
hotel  in  Cassel.  The  30th  Division  of  I^orth  Carolina 
troops  came  up  under  Brigadier  General  Samson  L.  Faison, 
who  soon  gave  over  command  to  Major  General  Edward 
M.  Lewis;  we  found  some  of  them  at  Watou  and  other 
villages  nearby.  Both  divisions  were  brigaded  with  troops 
of  the  second  British  Army  "in  the  Dickebush  Lake  and 
Sherpenberg  and  canal  sectors,  southwest  of  Ypres,  July 
9  to  August  23,  1918."  These  were  horrible  sectors  as 
the  Germans  on  Kemmel  were  shooting  down  into  them 
constantly.  On  August  18,  one  division  and  on  August 
23,  the  other  division  went  into  the  line.  From  August 
31,  to  September  2,  1918,  both  were  in  the  fight  with  the 
British  which  resulted  in  retaking  Mount  Kemmel.  To 
all  Americans  in  Flanders  it  was  a  proud  day  when  the 
American  troops  fighting  with  dash  and  steady  strength 
helped  retake  the  high  point  which  for  so  many  weeks  had 
menaced  Belgium  in  the  rear.  Both  the  27th  and  30th 
won  their  great  distinction  the  last  of  September  and  the 
first  of  October,  1918,  in  what  was  called  breaking  the 
Hindenburg  line  north  of  St.  Quentin.  The  desperate 
work  which  these  boys  of  New  York  and  North  Carolina 


244  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

did  may  be  read  in  tlie  figures  of  casualties.  The  27tli 
lost  8,986  men.    The  30th  lost  8,954  men. 

The  Commission  to  Belgium  had  nothing  to  do  ofiicially 
with  these  troops.  Men  like  Captain  Bobo  of  the  American 
Ked  Cross  in  Paris  were  on  the  job  and  doing  it  well.  But 
all  our  work  depended  on  the  issue  of  the  battles  these 
soldiers  fought.  Wainwright,  now  Assistant  Secretary  of 
War,  and  Kincaid,  now  Adjutant  General  of  Kew  York, 
got  their  baptism  of  fire  in  front  of  Kemmel. 

Just  before  the  end,  two  other  American  divisions  came 
up  with  a  rush.  One  was  the  37th,  made  up  largely  of 
Ohio  National  Guard  troops,  and  the  other  the  91st,  made 
up  of  drafted  men  from  California,  Washington,  Oregon, 
^Nevada,  Utah,  Idaho,  Montana,  Wyoming  and  Alaska, 
They  were  attached  to  French  Armies,  a  part  of  the  group 
of  armies  operating  under  the  King  of  the  Belgians.  Ma- 
jor General  Charles  S.  Farnsworth  commanded  the  37th 
and  Major  General  William  H.  Johnston  the  91st.  The 
Germans  were  moving  eastward,  making  a  stand  first  on 
the  river  Lys  and  then  on  the  river  Scheldt.  Both  divi- 
sions were  in  action  repeatedly,  the  37th  among  other 
things,  effecting  a  crossing  of  the  Scheldt  under  heavy  fire 
and  the  91st  capturing  Audenarde.  Those  were  the  days 
things  changed  so  rapidly  that  no  one  knew  just  where  the 
lines  ran.  We  tried  to  go  into  Audenarde  one  night,  but 
found  the  Germans  still  there.  Coming  back  in  the  dark, 
the  road  for  miles  was  filled  with  American  boys  of  the 
91st  moving  up  to  go  into  action.  The  37th  had  5,243 
casualties  and  the  91st  5,778  casualties,  but  part  of  these 
were  incurred  in  important  operations  in  France  as  well 
as  in  the  service  in  Flanders. 

The  armistice  found  both  divisions  on  the  Scheldt  ready 
to  go  on.  A  detachment  of  the  37th  participated  in  the 
entry  of  King  Albert  into  Brussels. 

American  Ambulance  Units  served  the  French  troops  in 
King  Albert's  group  of  armies,  and  first  our  Bruges 
and  later  our  Brussels  office  furnished  these  units  with 


THE   AMERICANS   COME  TO   FLANDERS     245 

food  and  other  supplies.  And  as  Americans  came  strag- 
j2;ling  through  Brussels  later,  on  leave  or  on  missions, 
there  were  many  happy  meetings  and  many  chances  to 
serve  the  boys  from  home.  They  were  chances  which 
every  American  relief  worker,  whatever  his  specific  task, 
regarded  as  his  first  responsibility,  and  his  most  precious 
))rivilege. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  war  the  King  sent  for  us  and 
said  that  he  had  under  his  control  at  St.  Germain-en-laye 
near  Paris  the  old  chateau  of  Henry  IV,  furnished  com- 
pletely, some  eighty  tons  of  coal,  food  supplies  and  per- 
sonnel, all  of  which  he  would  like  to  turn  over  to  the 
American  Red  Cross  as  a  rest  home  for  officers  of  the 
American  Armv,  and  the  Red  Cross.  He  said  that  he 
could  not  express  in  any  adequate  way  the  gratitude  of 
his  country  for  the  work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  and 
for  the  divisions  of  the  American  Army  which  had  been 
fighting  on  Belgian  soil,  but  that  he  would  like  to  do  a  little 
to  show  what  he  and  all  Belgians  felt.  We  accepted  the 
offer  and  turned  the  property  over  to  the  Commission  to 
France  which  made  use  of  it  for  some  months. 

Situated  on  the  heights  west  of  the  city,  commanding 
a  far  view  over  the  river  valley  and  the  great  gray  metrop'^ 
lis,  with  memories  of  Louis  XIV,  who  was  born  there  and 
of  other  notable  events  in  French  history,  it  now  for  the 
American  Red  Cross  will  be  associated  always  with  mem- 
ories of  King  Albert  and  of  the  brave  American  soldiers 
who  won  his  undying  gratitude. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

Closing  Up 

MR.  HE:N"RY  p.  DAVISOX,  chairman  of  tlie  War 
Council  of  the  American  Red  Cross,  and  Colonel  H. 
D.  Gibson,  Commissioner  for  Europe,  when  they  visited 
Belgium  just  before  the  armistice,  made  clear  to  us  the 
policy  to  be  followed.  It  was  to  finish  up  the  work  we 
were  in  and  to  close  up  just  as  quickly  after  the  war  as 
possible.  They  did  not  attempt  to  fix  arbitrarily  a  date 
for  closing  up  the  work  in  Belgium  but  said  that  they 
would  be  happy  if  it  could  be  done  without  hardship  well 
within  six  months  after  an  armistice. 

When  we  met  the  representatives  of  Mr.  Hoover  in 
Brussels  in  November,  1918,  Poland,  Brown,  Kittredge, 
Robinson-Smith  and  the  other  able  men  Hoover  had 
about  him,  they  said  that  they  were  withdrawing  from 
Belgium  just  as  quickly  as  the  government  could  take 
charge  of  the  food  problem. 

At  Le  Havre  we  had  talked  frankly  upon  this  subject 
with  the  difl'erent  Belgian  Ministers  long  before  the 
end  came  and  had  reached  a  clear  understanding.  Sum- 
marized, their  convictions  were  these:  "For  the  sake 
of  our  own  people  and  for  our  good  name  outside  the 
country,  we  must  make  ourselves  independent  of  foreign 
help  just  as  quickly  as  possible.  We  are  grateful  for  the 
American  aid  given.  We  could  not  have  lived  without 
it.  It  is  our  duty  to  show  our  gratitude  by  giving  up 
further  help." 

The  Commissioner  to  Belgium  on  April  9,  1919,  made 
a  report  to  Colonel  Robert  E.  Olds,  Commissioner  to 
Europe  at  that  time  in  which  he  stated  the  situation  as 
follows : 

346 


CLOSING  UP  247 

"We  have  so  done  our  work  that  we  can  get  out  now. 
Having  left  responsibility  to  the  Belgians,  having  worked 
always  through  their  committees,  their  shoulders  are 
squared  to  their  jobs.  There  is  no  period  of  confusion  to 
follow  by  our  suddenly  throwing  a  new  load  upon  them. 

"Belgium  needs  the  things  which  we  cannot  give:  in- 
demnity from  Germany,  loans  from  the  Allies,  priority  in 
raw  materials,  machinery  and  ships. 

"For  reclaiming  the  destroyed  areas,  the  government 
has  its  own  machinery.  That  machinery  is  moving  slowly 
and  with  some  difficulty,  but  it  is  moving.  The  first  of 
the  refugees,  reentering  the  destroyed  areas,  are  meeting 
with  great  hardships.  The  evils  of  congestion  are  very 
grave  in  the  cities  and  villages  of  Flanders  nearest  the 
old  fighting  lines.  But  we  have  provided  warehouses 
filled  with  food  and  clothing  for  use  in  these  regions  and 
these  will  be  put  under  the  Paris  Bureau  of  the  Bed 
Cross  in  charge  of  this  work  for  the  devastated  regions 
of  France. 

"The  Belgians  are  a  competent  people  with  men  used  to 
taking  responsibility  in  every  little  town. 

"They  have  a  King  and  Queen  with  enormous  moral 
power  and  they  use  it  steadily  for  right  things. 

"Belgium  can  get  along  without  us  and  it  is  our  duty 
to  leave." 

The  closing  weeks  were  marked  by  manifestations  of 
gratitude  on  the  part  of  Belgians  of  all  classes  from  the 
King  and  Queen  down  to  people  in  humble  walks. 

On  March  8,  1919,  in  closing  the  Ocean  Hospital  at  La 
Panne  as  a  war  hospital.  Dr.  Depage  called  together  his 
staff  and  stated  to  them  the  facts  about  the  help  given  by 
the  American  Red  Cross  to  the  Belgian  Bed  Cross  during 
the  war,  closing  with  the  words:  "The  American  Red 
Cross  deserves  in  the  highest  degree  the  gratitude  of  all 
Belgians." 

The  Ministers  associated  with  our  work  wrote  a  letter, 
summarizing  what  had  been  done  and  expressing  gratitude, 


248  THE  LITTLE  CORNER  NEVER  CONQUERED 

and  these  letters  are  a  part  of  the  permanent  records  of 
the  American  Red  Cross. 

Helleputte  said,  "As  head  of  the  official  Belgian  com- 
mittee for  refugees  in  France,  I  was  in  a  position  to 
know  and  appreciate  your  effective  work,  Belgian  refu- 
gees in  France  learned  to  bless  the  name  of  the  American 
Red  Cross." 

Berrjer  said,  "What  your  work  meant,  I,  as  Minister  of 
the  Interior,  was  in  a  position  to  clearly  understand,  and 
with  full  heart  I  express  the  gratitude  of  my  countrymen." 

General  De  Ceuninck,  Minister  of  War,  M.  Emile 
Brunet,  Minister  of  State,  M.  Paul  Heger  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Brussels,  and  the  heads  of  a  large  number  of  char- 
itable organizations  wrote  with  equal  frankness  and  ap- 
preciation. 

In  the  letter  of  Emile  Vandervelde  there  were  two  or 
three  sentences  of  especial  significance:  "I  am  not  able 
to  put  into  words  what  I  feel  about  the  vastness  of  the 
work  done  by  the  American  Red  Cross  for  Belgium.  The 
untiring  activity  of  the  organization  in  very  dark  hours 
strengthened  the  morale  of  the  army  and  of  our  people  in 
exile,  permitted  us  to  sustain  the  struggle  with  more  vigor, 
and  to  bring  back  to  the  country  on  our  return  a  greater 
faith  in  the  destiny  of  the  Belgian  people. 

"Your  organization  has  revealed  every  day,  even  to  the 
most  humble  of  our  people,  the  nobility  of  heart,  the 
righteousness  of  thought,  the  versatility  and  frankness  of 
the  spirit  of  the  Americans.  We  have  found  in  the 
American  Red  Cross  an  image  of  the  American  people." 

Letters  of  appreciation  still  follow  us  across  the  ocean. 
'Now,  two  years  later,  there  comes  a  letter  from  a  private 
soldier  of  the  Belgian  Army,  asking  nothing,  wanting 
nothing,  but  simply  saying,  "I  would  not  be  alive  today  if 
it  had  not  been  for  the  American  Red  Cross,  and  once 
in  a  while  I  cannot  help  writing  to  tell  you  so." 

The  Commission  closed  its  office  on  April  19,  1919,  and 
the  Commissioner  and  staff  left  the  country  at  once. 


APPENDIX    I 

AMERICAN    RED    CROSS 

COMMISSION    TO    BELGIUM. 
Commissioner : 

Ernest  P.  Bicknell, 

September   1917  to  October   1918. 

Acting  Commissioner: 

Jolm  van  Schaick,  Jr.. 

November    15,    1917— February    1.    1918, 
September    1,    1918— October  'l5,    1918. 

Commissioner: 

John  van  Schaick,  Jr., 
October  1918, 
April  1919. 

Deputy  Commissioner: 

John  van  Schaick,  Jr.. 

September   1,   1917— October   1918. 
J.  W.  Lee,  Jr., 

October  1,  1919. 

Departments : 

Public  Information: 
J.  W.  Lee,  Jr. 

Medical  Service: 

Dr.  Edwards  A.  Park 
Refugee  Service: 

Ernest  W.  Corn 
Work  for  Children: 

John  W.  Gummere 

Aide  to  Commissioner: 

Leonard  Chester  Jones 

Paris  Bureau: 

William  C.  Titcomb 
Albert  H.  Garriques 

Auditor : 

William  MacDonald 

Accountant : 

Francis  de  Sales  Mulvey 
Secretary  to  Commissioner : 

Grace  V.  Bicknell 
Translators : 

Mrs.  Julia  R.  van  Schaick  and  Mrs.  Leonard  Chester  Jones 

249 


250 


APPENDIX 


Personnel : 


Mme.  Cecille  Amchin 
Mile.  Marguerite  d'Arbour 
Miss  Elizabeth  Ashe 
Mile.  Melanie  Avery 
C.  C.  Balderston 
Miss  Alberte  Bicknell 
Mrs.  Ernest  P.  Bicknell 
Miss  Helen  Binsted 
Mile.  Germaine  Blais 
Mr.  Paul  Briche 
Mme.  Nora  Brule 
Mr.  August  Bruneel 
Miss  Lucy  Le  Carou 
Dr.  Dorothy  Child 
Dr.  Florence  Child 
Mile.  Laura  de  Coninck 
Mr.  Remy  Cordier 
Mr.  Ernest  W.  Corn 
Miss  Katherine  Cox 
Miss  Charlotte  Crawford 
Dr.  Eena  Crawford 
Miss  Ethel  M.  Damon 
Miss  Jeanne  Dardenne 
Miss  Frances  Goldie  Dees 
Mile.  Eosa  Delforge 
Leon  Deneubourg 
Mile.  Julia  Deprez 
Mile.  Despert 
M.  Antoine  Dognes 
Miss  Elizabeth  Durand 
Mile.  Anne  Duron 
Miss  Florence  Fisher 
Mile.  Simonne  Fisq 
Mile.  Clemence  Fontaine 
Mme.  Langeais  Fontenelle 
Dr.  Rose  Friedman 
M.  Albert  G.  Garrigues 
Mr.  John  W.  Gummere 
Dr.  Ruth  Aline  Guy 
Dr.  Royal  Storre  Haynes 
Miss  Maud  Heath 
Dr.  Leonard  Chester  Jones 
Miss  Henriette  Kaczka 
Mile.  Cecile  L.  Kievits 
Dr.  J.  H.  Mason  Knox 
Mrs.  Marcel  Landrieu 


Mr.  James  Wideman  Lee 
Dr.  Lienart 
Miss  Grace  Lucas 
Mr.  W.  A.  MacDonald 
Mile.  Edith  Le  Manchec 
Mme.  Melanie  Le  Manchec 
Mile.  Marie  Melis 
Mile.  Suzanne  Menu 
Mile.  Frieda  Mortelmans 
Mr.  F.  D.  Mulvey 
Mile.  Lucie  Nique 
Mrs.  Francis  J.  O'Reilly 
Dr.  Edwards  A.  Park 
Mr.  Ernest  B.  Parsons 
Mr.  Jacques  Pierloot 
Dr.  L.  Pilleboue 
Miss  Laura  Praet 
Miss  Helen  de  Puydt 
Dr.  Walter  R.  Ramsey 
Mile.  Germaine  Randexhe 
Mr.  J.  Forrest  Reilly 
S.  E.  Richardson 
Mme.  Alix  Rollin 
Dr.  Alma  Rotholz 
Miss  Helen  Sheridan 
Miss  Bertha  Smith 
Mr.  A.  L.  Stafford 
Miss  Helen  C.  Sutherland 
Mr.  Wm.  Caldwell  Titcomb 
Miss  S.  G.  Turner 
Mr.  A.  C.  Vail 
Katherine  A.  Valise 
Mr.  Joseph  van  den  Broeck 
M.  Van  den  Kerkhoven 
Miss  Philo  Vandervelde 
Mr.  Henri  Joseph  van  Nevel 
Mrs.  John  van  Schaick,  Jr. 
Mrs.  Constance  B.  Vaughan 
Miss  Mariette  Vermeersch 
Mr.  Camille  Victoor 
M.  Remy  Vincent 
Miss  Christoval  S.  Waldron 
Miss  Ruth  W.  Washburn 
Miss  Mabel  Wilcox 
Jonathan  A.  Williams 


APPENDIX  251 

APPENDIX    II 

EXPENDITURES   FOR   RELIEF   WORK   IN   BELGIUM 

June   12,  1917— June  30,   1919. 

The  Belgian  relief  of  the  American  Red  Cross  was  first  con- 
ducted by  the  Department  for  Beljjium  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
Commission  for  France,  and  since  January  1,  1918,  by  the  American 
Red  Cross  Commission  for  Belgium.  This  work  was  not  confined  to 
the  soil  of  Belgium,  but  extended  to  France  and  other  places  where 
there  were  Belgian  soldiers  or  refugees.  Most  of  the  work  of  the 
Belgian  Commission  was  accomplished  through  well-established 
Belgian  relief  organizations. 

The  following  expenditures  cover  the  Belgian  Relief  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  from  July  1,  1917  to  June  30,  1919: 

MILITARY  RELIEF  ACTIVITIES $1,189,679.48 

Establishment,  equipment  and  maintenance  of  hos- 
pitals, canteens,  and  centers  of  recreation;  pro- 
vision of  rest  areas  for  Belgian  nurses ;  supplies 
for  hospitals  and  canteens;  gifts  and  extra  com- 
forts for  soldiers;  and  cash  donations  to  hospital, 
canteen  and  recreational  organizations. 

CIVIL    HOSPITA  L8 $    364.626.68 

Establishment  and  maintenance  of  Belgian  typhoid 
and  other  civil  hospitals,  including  supplies  and 
equipment;  provision  for  removal  of  hospital  pa- 
tients; and  cash  donations  to  other  organiza- 
tions, including  the  Belgian  Red  Cross. 

RELIEF  OF  CHILDREN $1,159,553.54 

Removal  of  Belgian  children  from  dangerous  or 
congested  areas;  establishment  and  equipment  of 
schools,  colonies,  pavilions  and  hospitals  for  chil- 
dren, and  of  maternity  hospitals;  care  of  chil- 
dren, including  provision  of  food,  supplies  and 
medical  service;  return  to  Belgium  of  children's 
colonies;  and  cash  donations  to  children's  relief 
organizations. 

RELIEF    OF    REFUGEES $1,520,194.50 

Removal  of  refugees  from  dangerous  or  congested 
areas;  provision  of  housing,  relief  supplies  and 
medical  service;  improvement  of  living  condi- 
tions; clothing  for  discharged  Belgian  soldiers; 
assistance  to  returning  refugees;  and  contribu- 
tions to  other  organizations  and  to  the  Belgian 
Government  for  relief  activities. 


252 


APPENDIX 


GENERAL    SUPERVISION $      93,035.54 

Operation  of  headquartei-s  relief,  supply  and  man- 
agement bureaus,  including  storage,  transporta- 
tion  and   distribution   of   supplies.  

Total  for  relief  work  in  Belgium $4,327,089.74 


APPENDIX    III 

VITAL   STATISTICS   FOR  BELGIUM   FURNISHED 

BY  DR.  RENE  SAND  OF  THE 

BELGIAN  RED  CROSS  SOCIETY 

AND   OF  THE  MEDICAL  FACULTY   OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  BRUSSELS 

October   1920. 

Fo7-  all  of  Belgium. 

Births  Deaths 

(per  1,000  inhabitants) 

1913    21.6  13.8 

1914    20.2  14.1 

1915    16.0  12.9 

1916    12.8  13.2 

1917    11.3  16.4 

1918     11.4  21.0 

1919    16.9  15.0 

1920 


For  Brussels. 

Birth     Death     Tuberculosis     Infant 
rate       rate        mortality     mortality 
(on  1, 


1914  16.4 

1915  15.8 

1916  10.7 

1917  9.2 

1918  7.5 

1919  11-9 

1920 


300  inhabitants) 

(on  1,000 

living 

births ) 

14.9                1.7 

151.2 

13.3                1.7 

121.4 

14.7               2.2 

119.9 

18.3               3.5 

124.8 

21.0               3.5 

124.2 

13.1                1.9 

82.7 

APPENDIX  253 

APPENDIX    IV 

CITATIONS  FOR  MEDALS  AWARDED  BY  THE 

AMERICAN  RED  CROSS  UPON 

RECOMMENDATION  OF  THE  COMINIISSION  TO  BELGIUM. 

SILVER  MEDALS. 

HER  MAJESTY,  ELIZABETH,  Queen  of  the  Belgians— 

As  Honorary  President  of  the  Croix  Rouge  de  Belgique,  her 
Majesty  labored  constantly  to  promote  close  cooperation  with  the 
American  Red  Cross.  She  directed  the  organization  of  the  Chil- 
dren's Colony  at  Le  Glandier,  Correze,  France,  maintained  by  the 
Red  Cross.  She  visited  canteens  and  hospitals  at  the  front,  in 
which  American  Red  Cross  work  was  carried  on,  inspiring  and 
assisting  by  her  coolness,  her  skill,  her  sympathy  and  courage.  She 
assisted  our  work  throughout  the  entire  period  of  the  existence  of 
the  Commission  from  September  1917  to  April  1919. 

MONSIEUR  PAUL  BERRYER,  throughout  the  war  and  until  the 
armistice.  Minister  of  the  Interior  in  the  Belgian  Government  at 
Le  Havre;  from  November  11,  1918,  High  Commissioner  of  Belgium 
for  the  return  of  Belgian  Refugees  from  France — 

To  his  constant  friendship  and  assistance  the  American  Red 
Cross  owes  its  opportunity  for  service  to  Belgian  civilians — chil- 
dren, refugees,  and  civilian  sick.  He  placed  himself  and  his  motors 
at  the  service  of  the  Commission,  made  long  journeys  with  the 
American  Red  Cross  officers  and  rendered  distinguished  service  to 
the  organization,  throughout  the  entire  period  of  the  operations  of 
the  Commission  for  Belgium,  from   September   1917   to  April   1919. 

DOCTOR  ANTOINE  DEPAGE,  Colonel  in  the  Medical  Service  of 
the  Belgian  Army,  Field  Director  of  the  Croix  Rouge  de  Belgique 
and  founder  of  tlie  Ocean  Hospital  at  La  Panne — 

Doctor  Depage  cooperated  constantly  with  the  officers  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  stationed  on  this  front.  He  furnished  lodgings 
for  workers,  German  prisoners  for  labor,  and  gave  wise  advice  to 
the  members  of  the  Commission.  He  accepted  surgeons  and  nurses 
of  the  American  Red  Cross,  both  for  the  help  they  could  give  and 
to  enable  them  to  get  the  experience  they  desired.  He  gave  to  the 
American  Red  Cross  its  largest  opportunity  to  serve  the  hospitals 
and  surgical  posts  at  the  Belgian  front,  his  services  extending 
throughout  the  entire  period  of  our  operations  from  September  1917, 
to  April  1919. 

MADAME  THERESE  HYMANS,  wife  of  Monsieur  Paul  Hymans, 
Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  of  the  Belgian  Government  at  Le  Havre — 
By  virtue  of  her  official  position,  and  conspicuous  ability, 
Madame  Hymans  rendered  distinguished  service  to  the  American 
Red   Cross  during  the   entire   period  of  its  work   in   Belgium  from 


254  APPENDIX 

September  1917  to  April  1919.  As  President  of  the  Society  of 
"Centers  of  Eecreation  at  the  Belgian  Front"  she  opened  the  way 
for  important  work  by  the  American  Red  Cross  for  a  great  section 
of  the  Belgian  Army  at  the  front.  Upon  the  entry  of  the  Belgian 
Army  into  Germany  she  placed  her  trained  workers  at  the  service 
of  the  American  Eed  Cross  and  made  possible  the  establishment  of 
canteens  and  rest  huts  for  the  men  holding  the  Rhine. 

GENERAL  L.  MELIS,  Inspector  General  of  the  Service  de  Sant6, 
of  the  Belgian  Army — 

By  virtue  of  his  position  at  the  head  of  the  medical  and  sur- 
gical work  of  the  Belgian  Army,  and  as  active  President  of  the  Croix 
Rouge  de  Belgique,  lie  promoted  close  cooperation  with  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross,  during  all  of  our  operations  from  September  1917 
to  April  1919. 

Upon  liberation  of  occupied  Belgium,  he  rendered  distinguished 
service  to  the  officers  of  the  American  Red  Cross,  guiding  them  per- 
sonally into  the  unknown  regions,  and  enabling  them  to  get  the 
information  on  which  to  base  prompt  and  intelligent  service  to  both 
wounded  soldiers  and  civilians. 

CARDINAL  MERCIER,  Archbishop  of  Malines,  Soldier  of  the 
Cross,  brave  leader  of  the  Belgian  people  in  their  refusal  to  accept 
German  rule — 

He  became  the  friend  and  adviser  of  the  officers  of  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  upon  the  reentry  of  the  Belgian  Army  in  November 
1918,  and  rendered  distinguished  service  personally  and  through 
his  priests  and  people  in  directing  help  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
for  the  liberated  areas,  until  the  close  of  the  activities  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  Commission  for  Belgium  in  April  1919. 

MONSIEUR  EMILE  VANDERVELDE,  Minister  of  Intendance  of 
the  Belgian  Government  at  Le  Ha-VTC,  until  November  11,  1918,  and 
since  that  date  Minister  of  Justice — 

To  this  intrepid  minister,  the  American  Red  Cross  owes  many 
opportunities  for  service  to  the  fighting  men  of  the  Belgian  Army, 
both  in  the  trenches  and  in  work  centers  at  the  rear.  Through  his 
personal  guidance,  the  officers  of  the  American  Red  Cross  were  en- 
abled to  see  the  most  dangerous  and  difficult  situations  confronting 
the  soldiers,  and  relieve  their  suflferings.  President  of  the  Society 
of  "Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers,"  he  placed  all  the  resources  of  his 
society  at  the  service  of  the  American  Red  Cross,  and  made  a  work- 
ing agreement  with  the  American  Red  Cross  which  enormously  ex- 
tended the  usefulness  of  our  organization,  during  the  whole  period 
of  our  operations  from  September  1917  to  April  1919. 

MADAME  JULIETTE  CARTON  DE  WIART,  wife  of  Henry  Carton 
de  Wiart,  Belgian  Minister  of   Justice  until  November   11,    1919 — 

Resident  of  Brussels  under  the  Germans,  and  for  many  months 
after   the   occupation,    a   prisoner   in    Germany,   Madame    de   Wiart 


APPENDIX  255 

reached   Le   Havre    just    before    the   arrival    of   the   American    Red 
Cross  in  September  1917. 

Master  of  the  English  language,  deeply  sympathetic  with  the 
United  States  and  a  student  of  our  institutions,  she  placed  herself 
and  her  wide  experience  unreservedly  at  the  service  of  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross,  to  the  close  of  our  activities  in  April  1919.  In 
work  for  refugees  and  children,  in  distribution  of  clothing,  in  or- 
ganization of  children's  colonies,  she  rendered  distinguished  service. 


BRONZE    MEDALS. 


CORPORAL  ALBERT,  Soldier  of  the  Belgian  Army- 
Canteen  worker  of  the  "Society  of  Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers," 
this  man  rendered  valuable  service  in  the  canteens  established  by 
the  American  Red  Cross  at  La  Panne,  at  Vincken  and  after  the 
armistice  in  the  occupied  part  of  Germany.  At  all  times  during 
the  period  of  our  operations  in  Belgium  from  September  1917  to 
April  1919  he  showed  courage  and  devotion  to  the  work. 

MADAME   FERNAND    BAETENS,    of   Brussels,    representative   of 
the  American  Red  Cross  for  the  occupied  territory — 

By  virtue  of  her  position  as  the  wife  of  one  of  the  officers  of 
the  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium  and  because  of  her  rare  judg- 
ment in  questions  of  civilian  relief,  her  courage  and  cooperative 
spirit,  Madame  Baetens  rendered  conspicuous  service  to  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross,  to  the  close  of  our  activities  in  April  1919,  disburs- 
ing special  funds  very  effectively  and  keeping  records  of  permanent 
value.  She  was  chairman  of  a  committee  for  special  cases  under 
the  Committee  for  Relief  in  Belgium  throughout  the  period  of  the 
German  occupation  and  thereafter,  and  through  her  the  American 
Red  Cross  was  enabled  to  reach  hundreds  of  cases  of  civilian  distress 
in  the  occupied  territories.  She  showed  rare  judgment  and  genuine 
heroism  in  this  work. 

MONSIEUR  J.  BRAEKERS,  of  Belgium— 

A  brave  artilleryman  in  the  ranks  of  the  Belgium  Army  the 
first  half  of  the  war,  a  faithful  and  efficient  private  secretary  of 
the  Minister  of  the  Interior  of  the  Belgian  Government  the  last  two 
years  of  the  war,  he  was  the  best  informed  man  in  the  Belgian 
Government  upon  both  governmental  and  private  agencies  at  work 
iu  the  field  of  relief.  Charged  by  the  Minister  especially  with  the 
duty  of  aiding  the  American  Red  Cross,  he  rendered  very  valuable 
and  meritorious  service  during  all  of  our  work  in  Belgium  from 
September  1917  to  April  1919  in  giving  information,  establishing 
relationships  and  securing  permits  through  which  much  of  the  best 
work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  for  Belgium  was  done. 


256  APPENDIX 

ME.  L.  J.  CADBURY,  British  Red  Cross  Society  and  head  of  the 
Transportation  Department  of  the  Friends'  Ambulance   Unit — 

An  unusually  gallant  and  forceful  man,  he  rendered  especially 
meritorious  service  in  directing  the  lorries  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  and  the  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit  in  their  work  of  evacuating 
civilians  from  points  of  danger  and  saving  valuable  stores  from  the 
Germans.  Cited  twice  by  the  French  military  authorities  for  gal- 
lantry under  fire,  given  the  Croix  de  Guerre,  a  man  of  wide  experi- 
ence at  the  front,  he  cooperated  loyally  and  efficiently  with  the 
American  Red  Cross  during  all  of  its  operations,  often  visiting  our 
headquarters  at  La  Panne  and  furnishing  intelligence  of  great  value. 

MOiNSIEUR  ERNEST  CLAES,  of  Belgium- 
Veteran  of  the  Battle  of  the  Yser,  four  times  wounded,  prisoner 
of  war,  reforme,  this  man  found  his  way  at  last  to  Le  Havre  where 
he  was  made  a  secretary  of  the  Official  Belgium  Committee  in  charge 
of  refugees  in  France.  He  rendered  very  meritorious  service  to  the 
Bureau  of  Refugee  Service  of  the  American  Red  Cross  from  Sep- 
tember 1917  to  April  1919,  traveling  constantly  with  agents  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  showing  sound  judgment  and  conspicuous  de- 
votion in  American  Red  Cross  work  for  his  countrymen — especially 
in  the  early  part  of  the  work,  saving  us  both  time  and  money. 

MADAME  GABRIELLE  D'lETEREN,  Director  of  the  Society  of 
Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers,  Agent  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in 
work  for  the  fighting  men — 

Madame  D'leteren  showed  organizing  ability  of  a  high  order 
throughout  the  first  part  of  the  war.  She  traveled  between  Brus- 
sels and  the  Belgian  Army  on  the  Yser  carrying  thousands  of  letters, 
assisting  the  secret  service,  exposing  herself  to  constant  danger  in 
the  long  journey  across  the  barred  frontier  to  Holland,  and  then  to 
England,  France  and  Free  Belgium.  This  intimate  knowledge  of 
conditions  on  both  sides  of  the  lines  gave  her  great  prestige  and 
infiuence  with  the  soldiers.  All  this  she  used  to  make  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  known  and  effective  during  the  entire  period  of  our 
operations  from  September  1917  to  April  1919,  in  distributing  gifts, 
establishing  canteens  and  increasing  the  courage  of  the  fighting  men. 

LIEUTENANT  DUCLOT,  (Belgian),  an  engineer  officer  of  the 
Belgian  Army,  assigned  to  the  Society  of  "Centers  of  Recreation 
at  the  Belgian  Front." 

He  cooperated  in  a  most  intelligent  and  loyal  way  with  the 
American  Red  Cross,  erecting  tents  and  barracks  for  recreation, 
superintending  the  installation  of  cinemas  and  the  organization  of 
this  work.  His  services  were  extremely  valuable  to  the  Commis- 
sion for  Belgium  and  extended  over  the  entire  period  of  our  opera- 
tions from  September  1917  to  April  1919. 


APPENDIX  257 

CAPTAIiV  CHARLES  GRAUX,  of  the  Belgian  Array- 
As  successively  business  manager  of  the  Ocean  Hospital  at 
La  Panne;  director  of  the  Colony  of  the  Queen  at  Le  dandier  and 
Private  Secretary  to  Her  Majesty,  Captain  Graux  was  in  close 
touch  with  the  work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  for  Belgium  from 
the  beginning  in  September  1917  to  the  end  in  April  1919.  Con- 
spicuous for  his  intelligence,  his  patience,  his  sympathy,  his  cour- 
age and  his  gifts  of  organization  he  placed  them  all  at  the  service 
of  the  American  Red  Cross.  He  overcame  the  international  diffi- 
culties in  the  way  of  bringing  over  six  hundred  anemic  children 
from  Occupied  Belgium  and  the  other  difficulties  incident  to  the 
organization  and  maintenance  of  a  school  for  them  in  France  en- 
tirely directed  and  supported  by  the  American  Red  Cross, 

MONSIEUR  GEORGES  HELLEPUTTE,  until  September  11,  Min- 
ister of  Public  Works  in  the  Belgian  Government  at  Le  Havre  and 
Member  of  tlie  Chamber  of  Deputies — 

As  President  of  the  Official  Belgian  Committee  for  Refugees 
in  France,  M.  Helleputte  cooperated  fully  with  the  American  Red 
Cross  from  the  opening  of  our  operations  in  September  1917  to 
their  close  in  April  1919,  lending  his  trained  inspectors  to  go  with 
American  Red  Cross  workers  to  different  refugee  centers  and  plac- 
ing himself  personally  at  the  service  of  the  Bureau  of  Refugee 
Service.  He  furnished  without  charge  attractive  offices  for  the  Com- 
mission for  Belgium  in  the  Ministry  of  Public  Works  at  Le  Havre 
at  a  time  when  Le  Havre  was  so  congested  that  our  work  was  seri- 
ously handicapped  by  lack  of  space.  He  personally  conducted 
American  Red  Cross  workers  to  Ostend,  Bruges  and  other  places 
in  Flanders,  immediately  upon  the  liberation  rendering  valuable 
service  by  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  Flemish  language  and 
people. 

MADAME  ROLIN  HYilANS  (Belgian)  Wife  of  Captain  Rolin 
Hymans  of  the  Belgian  Army,  sister  of  the  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs  of  the   Belgian  Government — 

Both  by  position  and  ability,  Madame  Hymans  was  enabled  to 
render  valuable  service  to  the  American  Red  Cross  during  the  en- 
tire period  of  our  operations  from  September  1917  to  April  1919. 
Her  devotion,  great  courage  and  common  sense  were  conspicuous 
throughout  the  war.  As  head  of  the  American  Red  Cross  Creche 
at  La  Panne,  as  Director  of  the  American  Red  Cross  Nurses  Home 
at  Etretat,  as  constant  friend  and  advisor  of  the  Commission  for 
Belgium,  her  work  was  meritorious  to  a  high  degree. 

DOCTOR  JONLET,  Director  of  the  Belgian  Civil  and  Military  Hos- 
pital at  La  Chartreuse  and  of  the  American  Red  Cross  Children's 
Colony  at  Recq — 

Through  Doctor  Jonlet,  the  American  Red  Cross  had  many 
opportunities  during  the  whole  period  of  its  operations  from  Sep- 


258  APPENDIX 

tember  1917  to  April  1919,  to  serve  both  soldiers  and  civilians.  La 
Chartreuse,  fifty  miles  from  the  fighting  lines,  was  so  situated  that 
it  could  be  quickly  reached  from  the  front  and  yet  was  itself  com- 
paratively safe.  It  contained  1100  beds,  was  used  as  a  children's 
colony,  a  hospital  for  the  aged,  a  hospital  for  sick  civilians  and 
a  convalescent  home  for  wounded  soldiers.  All  its  resources  were 
placed  at  the  service  of  the  American  Red  Cross  for  shelter  of  per- 
sonnel, storage  of  supplies  and  repair  of  trucks.  By  the  intelligent 
cooperation  of  Doctor  Jonlet,  the  American  Red  Cross  was  able  to 
help  both  Belgian  and  French  civilians  in  the  zone  of  the  British 
Army.  By  his  help,  the  American  Red  Cross  purchased  barracks 
for  500  children  in  a  time  of  great  emergency,  leased  the  Chateau 
of  Recq  and  established  a  children's  colony  under  his  supervision, 
the  entire  support  and  direction  of  which  was  taken  by  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross.  He  showed  sound  judgment  and  great  resourceful- 
ness and  rendered  service  to  the  American  Red  Cross  of  great  merit. 

MR.  W.  MORDEY  (British)  Adjutant  of  the  Friends'  Ambulance 
Unit  until  February  1919  and  Major  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in 
charge  of  work  in  the  destroyed  villages  of  Belgium — 

He  was  a  business  man  of  ability  who  had  been  in  Northern 
France  and  Belgium  from  the  fall  of  1914,  and  as  a  result  of  his 
familiarity  with  conditions  in  Belgium  Major  Mordey  was  of  great 
value  to  the  American  Red  Cross  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
our  work.  He  was  distinguished  for  calm,  cool  judgment  under  the 
most  difficult  and  dangerous  conditions.  His  friendship  for  the 
United  States  and  his  loyalty  to  the  American  Red  Cross,  joined 
to  his  great  ability,  made  his  service  one  of  conspicuous  merit  and 
worth. 

COLONEL  PIERRE  NOLF,  Head  of  the  Medical  Service  of  the  Bel- 
gian Army,  Director  of  the  Belgian  Military  Hospital  at  Cabour, 
physician  to  the  Royal  Family  and  confidential  advisor  to  Her 
Majesty,  the  Queen — 

Doctor  Nolf  rendered  meritorious  service  to  the  American  Red 
Cross  in  facilitating  the  organization  of  work  in  cooperation  with 
their  Majesties  and  in  giving  constant  and  intelligent  advice  upon 
all  hospital  work  undertaken.  His  services  were  a  distinct  con- 
tribution to  the  success  of  our  efforts  from  September  1917  when 
we  entered  Belgium  to  April  1919  when  our  activities  ceased. 

PRIVATE  POUPAERT  (Belgian)  Soldier  of  the  Belgian  Army 
and  Director  of  the  office  force  of  the  Society  of  Gifts  for  Belgian 
Soldiers — 

This  society  became  an  effective  agency  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  in  canteen  and  recreation  work  at  the  Belgian  front.  Private 
Poupaert  showed  resourcefulness  and  force  in  times  of  emergency 
and  real  ability  at  all  times.  He  cooperated  loyally  and  effectively 
with  the  American  Red  Cross  during  our  entire  operations  from 
September  1917  to  April  1919. 


APPENDIX  259 

DOCTOR  JACQUES  ROSKAM,  Director  of  the  Belgian  Civil  Hos- 
pital at  St.  Idesbalde,  Leysele  and  the  Dorntje — 

Detailed  by  the  army  for  civilian  work,  living  at  the  Belgian 
front  and  often  in  danger,  Doctor  Roskam  dealt  with  the  problems 
of  contagions  disease  and  other  civilian  sickness  in  Free  Belgium. 
He  placed  his  experience  at  the  service  of  the  doctors  and  nurses 
of  the  American  Red  Cross  during  the  entire  period  of  our  opera- 
tions from  September  1917  to  April  1019  and  cooperated  with  them 
closely  and  faithfully  in  improving  health  conditions  in  Flanders. 
He  assisted  workers  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  evacuating  civil- 
ian sick  from  points  of  danger,  rendering  service  of  great  merit. 

ilONSIEUR  JEAN  STEYAERT,  Commissaire  d'Arrondissement  de 
Furnes, — Dixmude;  Representative  of  the  Civil  Government  of  Bel- 
gium in  the  forward  areas  of  the  army — 

It  was  his  duty  to  superintend  the  evacuation  of  civilians  and 
relieve  special  cases  of  distress.  He  took  charge  of  the  reception  of 
the  stores  and  erection  of  barracks  for  the  American  Red  Cross.  In 
time  of  bombardment,  he  assisted  in  the  removal  of  valuable  pro- 
perty of  the  American  Red  Cross  from  Furnes.  He  placed  himself 
and  all  the  resources  of  his  office  at  the  disposal  of  the  officers  of 
the  American  Red  Cross  during  the  entire  period  of  our  operations 
from  September  1917  to  April  1919.  rendering  highly  meritorious 
service.  He  was  regarded  by  all  in  Belgium  as  one  of  the  bravest 
and  most  intelligent  civil  officials,  and  by  the  American  Red  Cross 
authorities  as  among  the  bravest  of  our  agents. 


'» 


CORPORAL  ANTOINE  STOEFS,  (Belgian  Soldier  of  the  Belgian 
Army )  — 

Professor  of  the  Normal  School  of  Brussels,  a  man  of  organ- 
izing ability,  he  rendered  meritorious  service  to  the  American  Red 
Cross  through  the  Society  of  Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers  during  all 
of  our  operations  from  September  1917  to  April  1919.  He  was 
directly  in  charge  of  the  "Cercles  Militaires"  or  Clubs  for  Soldiers 
at  the  front.  Especially  at  the  time  of  the  advance  of  the  Belgian 
Army  in  October  1918,  he  showed  great  ability  and  fine  courage  in 
getting  supplies  over  the  destroyed  areas  to  the  new  fighting  front. 
His  supplies  reached  the  vanguard  of  the  army  before  any  other 
except  small  stores  dropped  from  aeroplanes.  He  did  as  much  as 
anyone  to  make  the  name  of  the  American  Red  Cross  known  and 
loved  by  the  private  soldiers. 

CAPTAIN  MEABURN  TATHAM,  of  the  British  Army  and  British 
Red  Cross  Society,  and  Commander  of  the  English  Friends'  Ambu- 
lance Unit  at  Dunkirk — 

The  Friends'  Ambulance  Unit  was  the  transportation  agency 
of  the  Commission  and  the  relationship  of  the  two  organizations 
became  a  close  partnership.  Captain  Tatham  rendered  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  service  conspicuous  for  courage,  intelligence  and  un- 


260  APPENDIX 

selfishness  during  the  entire  period  of  our  operations  in  Belgium 
from  September  1917  to  April  1919,  took  our  officers  frequently  to 
British  General  Headquarters,  and  different  army  headquarters  to 
make  us  acqviainted.  At  the  time  of  the  great  German  advance  of 
1918,  the  Commission  for  Belgium  was  put  in  charge  of  all  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  agencies  in  the  British  zone.  Our  success  in  dealing 
with  the  refugee  situation  was  due  in  large  measure  to  this  devoted 
officer. 

EEMY  VINCENT  (Belgian)  Private  Soldier  of  the  Belgian  Army, 
chauffeur  for  tlie  American  Red  Cross  from  the  fall  of  1917 — 

He  was  known  as  the  most  skilful  and  daring  chauffeur  of  the 
Minister  of  War — a  great  driver,  a  skilful  mechanic  and  a  loyal, 
honest  man.  By  his  knowledge  of  roads  and  conditions  at  the  front, 
and  his  unerring  judgment  and  great  skill  under  shell  fire,  he  un- 
questionably saved  the  lives  of  many  of  our  personnel.  By  his 
keen  intelligence  and  quick  decision,  he  rendered  service  of  great 
value  in  problems  of  relief  both  civil  and  military.  By  his  ability 
to  work  long  periods  without  rest,  he  saved  valuable  time  for  his 
superior  officers. 

APPENDIX    V 

LIST   OF  PLACES  WHICH   RECEIVED  AID   FROM  THE 
BELGIAN    COMMISSION   OF   THE    AMERICAN   RED    CROSS. 

A  total  of  274  activities  in  169  places. 

BELGIUM. 

In  Belgium  72  activities  in  35  places. 

Adinkerke:  Nine  warehouses 

Food  and  supplies  distributed. 

Antwerp:  Civil  Hospital 

Two  carloads  of  supplies  given. 

Alveringhem :  Cinema 

For  Belgian  soldiers. 

Audenarde:  Supplies  for  civilians 

After  German  retreat. 

Belgian  Front:  Cinema   (Abb6  Raepsaet) 

L'Enseignement  des  Soldats  (Minister  Poullet) 

15,000  francs. 
Lighting  of  Cantonments 

50,000  francs. 
Mobile  Surgical  and  Autoradiological  Carriage 

170,000  francs. 

Beveren  Hospital:        Medical  and  Surgical  Supplies 


APPENDIX 


261 


Boitshoucke ; 


Bruges : 


Brussels : 


For  school  children  within  the  lines 

Belgian  Army, — One  barrack  at  General 
Rucquoy's  request. 

Advance  Surgical  Post  in  Normal  School 

Supplies. 
Civil  Hospital 

Carload  of  supplies  and  5000  francs. 
Hopital  Saint  Andre 
Refugees  Relief  Committee 

Food  and  clothing. 
Warehouse  of  Red  Cross 

Distributing  center  for  supplies. 

Assista7tce  Discrete 

10,000  francs   monthly  from 
August  1918  to  February  1919. 

Belgian  Red  Cross 

1.000,000  francs  for  Avork  for  the  mutilat- 
ed; 300,000  francs  for  cows;  1,000,000 
francs  for  maintenance  of  hospitals. 

Le  Bercail 

5,000  francs. 

Boy  Scouts 

100,000  francs. 

Children's  tcorJc 

To  the  Queen  1.250,000  francs. 

Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium 

For  their  Relief  Committee  at  their  Brus- 
sels' office — 100,000  francs  per  month  from 
September  1918  to  April  1919. 

Criche  of  Madame   Vandervelde,  10,000  francs. 

Enfants  Martyrs 
40,000  francs. 

Edith  Cavell  Nursing  Home 
10,000  francs. 

Foyer  des  Orphelins 
400,000  francs. 

Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers 

Formerly  at  Ste.  Adresse. 

About    2,000,000    francs    for    its    various 

activities. 

Hospital  Work,  Madame  John  de  Mot 
10,000  francs. 

Infirmei'ies  de  Sainte  Camille 
10,000  francs. 

Journalists,  Relief  of  Belgian 

10,000  francs  per  month  from  April  1918 
to  February   1919. 


262 


APPENDIX 


Cabour : 
Couthoye : 

Courtrai : 


Coxyde : 
Ebblinsfhem ; 


Les  Enfant s  du  Peuple 
5,000  francs. 

CEuvre  of  Recreation  for  Soldiers 
(Madame  Hymans) 
245,000  francs. 

Petites  Roses  de  la  Reine 
60,000  francs. 

Poiiponniere  Bahy  Work  of  Countess  d'Ursell 
50,000  francs. 

Prisoners  Returned 
60,000  francs. 

Queen's  Purse 

50,000  francs  given  to  Queen  to  buy  com- 
forts for  men  in  hospitals. 

Relief  of  Pauvres  Honteiix — Baroness  de  Woot 
2,500  francs  per  month  for  four  months 
beginning  August   31,    1918. 

Secours   Urgent — Countess   de   Beughem 
20,000  francs. 

Ttiherculosis  Work 

To  the  Queen,  1.200,000  francs. 

Tuberculosis  Hospital 

1000   beds   and   furnishings.      (Above   sal- 
vage from  evacuated  American  hospitals.) 

University  of  Brussels 
100,000  francs. 

Military  Hospital  near  Adinkerke 

Serum,   food,   medical    supplies,   dressings. 

Hopital  Civilian   (Elizabeth) 

Medical    supplies,    dressings,    two    ambu- 
lances. 

Civilian  Hospital  under  Friends'  Ambulance 
Unit — Red  Cross  Warehouse  Distributing 
center  for  supplies.  Supplies,  transporta- 
tion and  17,477  francs. 

Cinema. 

Children's      Colony,      afterward      removed      to 

Sablon  St.  Livrade  and  Tomebouc. 

Condensed  milk,  clothing  and  14,600  francs 

for  repairs. 

To   St.  Livrade  and  Tomebouc,  sent  food, 

bedding  and   1000  yards   of  sheeting. 
Hospital   in   barracks   left   by   Colony,    also    a 

tent   hospital    in   connection   with   refugee 

camp  close  by. 

Supplies   and   financial   aid. 


APPENDIX 


263 


Elverdinghe ; 


Furnes : 
Ghent: 


La   Panne: 


Leysele : 


To  Dr.  Loiif.  a  barrack  for  small  civil  hospital, 
also  medical  supplies. 

Refugee  relief 

Food  and  clothing. 

To  Mayor 

200,000   francs   for   relief  of   refugees   and 

children. 
To  Inspector  Service  de  Sante 

3,000  francs. 
WareJiouse 

Red  Cross  distributing  center  for  supplies. 

Canteen 

Barrack   given   by   Red    Cross.      Aided    in 

furnishings  and  support. 
Cinema 

Through  Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers. 
Convalescent  Home  for   Working    Girls 

100,000  francs. 
Creche  of  Mme.  Rolin  Hymans — 

Barrack   and  financial   aid. 
Belgische  Standard  Educational  Work 

15,000  francs. 
Lihi'ary 

Aided   through  gifts  for  Belgian   soldiers. 
Ocean  Hospital   (Military) 

Medical  supplies,  dressings,   comforts. 
Ouvroir 

Laundry    and    repair    shop    in    connection 

with  the  Bains  Militaires. 

9,000  francs  given  to  aid  families  of  killed 

and  wounded   when  laundry  was   bombed. 
Phonograph  and  Disc  Repair  Shop 

Financial  Aid. 
Repos  de  Sainte  Elisabeth 

Clothing. 
Vestiaire 

Supported     entirely     by     American     Red 

Cross. 
Children's  Colony — never  occupied  as  such,  but 

turned    into   Refugee    Clearing   House — 12 

barracks,    brick    bathhouse    and    kitchen; 

American    Red    Cross    supported    this    en- 
tirely. 
Cicilian  Hospital 

Furnishings   and   part   of   cost  of  erection 

of    barracks    paid    for    by    American    Red 

Cross. 


264 


APPENDIX 


Liege : 


Malines : 
Mons : 

Ostend : 
Poperinglie : 

Somerghem : 
St.  Idesbalde: 


Tcrmonde : 
Thielt: 
Tournai : 

Vinckem : 


Waereghem : 
Waerschoote : 
Wyenburgh : 


Cinema 

Given    by    American    Red    Cross    through 

Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers. 
Maternity   Hospital,    formerly   at   Rousbrugge. 

Layettes   and   quarters   furnished   at   Ley- 

sele  in  the  barracks  at  colony. 

Children's  Work  of  Mademoiselle  Pontiere 

10,000   francs. 
Civil  Hospital 

Tavo  carloads  of  supplies. 
Playwork    of   American   Friends    for    Children 

3,000  francs  per  month,  for  three  months 

to  get  work  started. 
University  of  Lidge 

40,000  francs. 

Cardinal  Mercier 

100,000   francs   for   civilian   relief. 

Hospital 

Medical    supplies,   financial   aid. 

Supplies  for  civilians  after  German  retreat. 
Hopital  Elizabeth 

Same  as  Couthove 

Supplies  after  retreat  of  Germans. 
Civilian  Hospital 

Same   as   Civil  Hospital   at  Leysele. 
Foyer  Ecossais 

See  Foyer  Ecossais  at  Neuilley,  France. 
Fifty  houses  rebuilt. 
Civilian   Hospital  reconstructed 

25,000  francs. 
Friends'  Ambulance  Hospital 

Supplies,  camions. 

Cinema 

Through   Gifts   for   Belgian    Soldiers. 
Emergency  canteen 

Through   Gifts   for   Belgian   Soldiers. 

Military  Hospital 

500,000  francs  on  expense  of  building. 
Queen's  School 

100,000   francs  for   a  building. 

1,000  francs  for  toys. 

Sitpplies  for  civilians  after  German  retreat. 

Supplies  for  civilians  after  German  retreat. 

Emergency  canteen 

Through    Gifts    for    Belgian   Soldiers. 


APPENDIX 


265 


Albi    (Tarn)  : 
Annecy : 


FRANCE. 

In  France,  181  activities,  125  places. 

Children's  Colony 
500  francs. 


Arromanches 
(Calvados)  : 

Angerville 

(near  Havre)  : 

Auberville 

(near  Havre)  : 

Auvours : 

Bacqueville  (S.I.)  : 

Ballainvilliers 

(S.  &  O.): 
Bayonne 

(Basses  Pyrenees) 

Beau-Marais 
(near  Calais)  : 


Bonnieres  sur  Seine 

(S.  &  O.): 
Bordeaux : 


Bougival  (S.  &  O.)  : 
Boulogne : 

Bourbourg   (Nord)  : 
Caestre    (Nord)  : 


Children's  Colony 
Games. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Military  Hospital 

Medical   supplies,   clothing,   recreation 
equipment. 

Military  Hospital 

Medical    supplies,   clothing,    recreation 
equipment. 

Training  Center 

Games,  comforts,  phonographs. 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 
Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 
Children's  Colony 
:  Clothing. 

Aviation  Field 
Building  for  canteen 
Cinema 
Repairs 

27,259.80  francs. 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 
Committee  for  Refugees 

Clothing  and  financial  aid. 
Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 
Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 

Fleet  Patrol 

Clothing — 2000   francs. 
Refugees  relief  throvigh   Sous-Pr^fet. 

Military  Hospital 

X-Ray  Machine 

Piano 

Canvass,  paint,  etc. 

Creche  and  Baby  Hospital 
Supplies — 2000  francs. 


266 


APPENDIX 


Calais : 


Campeaux  (S.  I.)  : 

Cap  Ferrat   (Alpes 
Maritimes)  : 

Caudebec  en  Caux 

(S.  I.): 
Cayeux-sur-mer : 

Chateaugiron 
(near  Rennes)  : 

Chanay : 


Cette: 

Chevilly   (Seine)  : 

Clermont-Ferrand : 

Criquetot-sous-Ouville 

(S.  I.): 

Dunkirk : 


Elbeuf   (S.  I.) 


Children's  Colony  _ 

Clothing. 
Emergency  Hospital  (Mme.  De  Hemptinne) 

Supplies. 
Home  du  Permissionaire 

Clothing,  crutches,  cigarettes. 
Refugee  Relief 

Through  American  Consul. 
See  Gravelines  for  Hospital  Porte  of 

Gravelines. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Military  Hospital 

Barrack   and   dental   instruments. 
10,000  francs. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Military  Hospital 
Supplies. 

Sanatorium  Elizabeth  for  Tuberculosis. 

X-Ray  Machine. 

Clothing  amounting  to  2,162  francs. 

Refugee  Relief  Committee 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 

Convent  des  P&res 
Convent  des  Sceurs 

Refugee  Relief 

Clothing. 
Children's  Colony 

Clothing  and  sewing  machine. 

Alexandra  Hospital 

Supplies  and  Ambulances. 
Barge  Annex  to  Alexandra  Hospital 

10,000  francs. 
CEuvre  des  Mariniers   et   des   Orphelins   de   In 
Guerre 

10,000  francs. 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 
Union  Beige 

Refugee   relief. 


APPENDIX 


267 


Etretat   (S.  I.) 


Eu: 


Fontenay  aux  Roses 
(Seine)  : 

Fretliun    ( near 
Calais)  : 

Garches    (S.  &  O.)  : 


Gommerville  (S.I.) 

Grandes   Dalles 

(S.  I.): 

Grandes  Ventes 
(S.  I.): 

Gravelines    (near 
Calais)  : 

Graville : 

Graville   Ste. 
Honorine : 

Grignon-Orly 
(Seine)  : 

Grosfys    (S.  I.)  : 

Guemps    (Pas   de 
Calais)  : 

Honfleur : 

Job   (Auvergne)  : 

Jouey-les-Tours : 


La  Celle  St.  Cloud 
(S.  &  O.): 


Children's  Colony 

Food  supplies  and   1,000  francs. 
Home  de  Convalescence  for  Belgian  Nurses 

Supported. 

Traimng  Center 

Games,  comforts,  phonograph. 

Children's  Colony 

Repairs  and  furnishings, 
about  20,000  francs. 

Maternity  Hospital 

9000  francs  for  barrack. 

Children''s  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing,  sewirg  machine. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Military  Hospital 

Medical  supplies,  2000  blankets. 

Soldiers'  Club 
Supplies. 

Creche 

Supported. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Throiigh  Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers 
Comforts. 

Training  Center 

Games,    comforts,   phonograph. 

Villa  Joi  Tuherculosis  Sanatorium 
150,000  francs. 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing  and  some   furnishings. 
10,000  francs. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 


268 


APPENDIX 


La   Chartreuse 
(near  Montreuil) 


Landes ; 


L'Argentiere : 

Le  dandier 
(Correze)  : 

Le  Havre: 


Children's  Colony 

Clotliing  supplies. 
Hospital  for  Children 

Clothing  supplies. 
Refuge  for  Old  People 

Supplies,   electric   lighting,    laundry. 

Children's  Colony 

Shower  batlis,   clothing,   games, 
sewing  machine. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 

700  children,  entire  support. 

Assistance  Temporaire 

17,000  francs  per  month. 
Belgian  Village 

600,000  francs. 
Canteen  for  Dock  LaTiorers 

Financial  aid,  barrack. 
Civilian  Hospital 

Entire  support. 
Comite  Officiel  Beige 

Financial  aid,  clothing   for  Vestiaire. 
La  Famille  de  I'Infirmiere 

Entire  support. 

Maison    de    L'Enfance,    including,    Dispensary, 

Baby    Hospital,    Baby    Temporary    Home, 

and  a  Maternity  Hospital.   Entire  support. 
Military  Hospital  No.  8 

Recreation  barracks — Frs.  38,500 

Special  treat  of  candy  and  fruit — Frs.  1000. 

Supplies — Frs.   2.254.65. 
(Euvre  Havraise  des  Creches 

Francs   65,000,   linens. 
School  Children's  Belgian  Recreation  Fund 

6,000  francs. 
Symphonic  Militaire  Beige 

1,000  francs. 
Syndicat  des  Travaileuses  de  I'Aiguille 

(Crokaert  ouvrir) 

Financial  aid. 
Yetements  dii  Soldat  Reforme 

Monthly  grant. 
Invalides,  Les 

An  institution  for  reeducation  of  Belgian 

crippled  soldiers. 

For  removal  to  Louvaine,  100,000  francs. 


APPENDIX 


269 


Le  Mans: 

Le  Treport   (S.  I.)  : 
LeVesinet  (S.  &0.) 


Limoges : 


Lisieux   (Calvados) 

Livarot  (Calvados)  ; 

Loiret : 
Lourdes : 

Loudun : 

Lumbres : 

Malo-les-Bains : 
Malaise   (S.  I.)  : 

Mareil-en-France 
(S.  &  0.): 

Mauleon    ( Basses 
Pyrenees)  : 

Merlimont    (Pas  de 
Calais)  : 

Mers-les-Bains 
(S.  I.): 

Montpellier: 


Monsoult  (S.  &  0.) 
Montreuil : 


Military  Hospital 

Food  and  clothing  amounting  to 

Frs.  2,218.60.     Surgical  instruments. 
Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 
;    Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 

Workshop  employing  refugees   to   make   cloth- 
ing and  shoes  for  children's  colonies. 
Entire  support. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Refugee  Relief 

Canteen — aided  financially. 
Relief  to  Refugees. 

Children's  Colony  (Abbe  Delforge) 
Clothing  and  condensed  milk. 
Also  500  francs. 

British  Army  Zone  Civilian  Hospital 

(Mme.   Lionville) 

Supplies  and  financial  aid. 
Moving  Pictures 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing,   cow,   sewing  machine. 

Agricultural    Home    for    convalescent    soldiers. 
Supported. 

Children's  Colony 
Supported. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Military  Hospital 

Medical   supplies. 
Refugee  Committee 

Financial  aid. 
Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 
Civil  Hospital 

Clothing. 
Financial    Relief    to    Refugees     through    Sous- 

Prgfet. 


270 


APPENDIX 


Morteaiix-Couliboeuf 
(Calvados)  : 

Neuilly   (Seine)  : 


Nimes: 

Ouville-Abbaye : 

Parigne  I'Eveque 
(S.  I.): 

Paris : 


Petit  Couronne 

(S.  I.): 

Petite   Syntlie 
(near  Dunkirk) 

Petites  Dalles 

(S.  I.): 


CliUdreii's  Colony 
Clotliing. 

Foyer  Ecossais 

Francs— 10,000 

Clothing 

Food. 

Refugee  Committee 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing,  sewing  machine. 

Training  Center 

Games,  comforts,  phonograph. 

Appui  Beige 

10,000  francs  per  month. 
Canteen  at  Gare  du  "Nord 

Financial   aid. 
Two  Children's  Colonies 

67  Hue  de  la  Sante 

8  Rue  de  Vouilli 

Clothing. 
Coinite  Franco-Beige 

Clothing — 5557  francs. 
Conge  du  Boldat  Beige 

2,000  francs  in  1917 

9,000  francs  monthly  in  1918. 
Foyer  du  Soldat  Beige 

8  homes  for  soldiers  and  2  restaurants. 

All   financially  aided  by  Red  Cross. 
Hospital  du  Roi  Albert 

Supplies. 
Livre  du  Soldat  Beige 

90,000  francs. 
Roi  Albert — Hospital  Militaire 

36  beds. 
Foyer — Albert — Elizabeth 

Neuilly,  1000  francs,  clothing. 
Canteen  Gare  du  Word 

10,000  francs. 

Home  du  Soldat  Beige 
Supported. 

Hospital  Queen  Alexandra 
Supplies,   financial    aid. 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing,    sewing   machine. 


APPENDIX 


271 


Port    Villez,    Gare 
Vernon  (Eiire)  : 


Porrville-Ies- 
Dieppe  (S.  I.)  : 

Preaux   ( S.  I. )  : 
Puy  ( Pas  de  Calais) 

Quimper : 

Recques   (Pas  dc 
Calais)  : 

Rinxent-Hvdrequent 
(P.  de  C.)  : 

Rouen  ( S.  I. )  : 


Rueil  (S.  &  0.)  : 

Soligny  La  Trappe 
(Orme)  : 


Ste.  Adresse    (Le 
Havre)  : 

St.   Germain  en 
Laye  (S.  &  O.)  : 

St.   lUiers-les- 
Bois: 

St.  Jacques  sous 
Darnetal 

St.    Jean    ( Hesdin ) 
(Pas  de  Calais)  : 

St.   Lo: 


Tnslitut    Militaire   dcs   Invalides    et   Orphelim 
de  la  Guerre 

Building — 17,500   francs 

Furnishings — 5,~000  francs. 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing,    sewing   machine. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing,  gifts. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Belief  supplies  after  German  retreat. 

Children's  Colony 

Barracks,   clothing,   electric   lights. 
All  expenses. 

Ch  ildren's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Belgian  Military  Hospital  Bonsecours 

Operating  table,  articles  for  Pharmacy. 

Dispensaire  pour  Enfants 
Supported. 

Fonds  du  Soldat  Beige 

Monthly  subsidy  2.000  francs  from  Sep- 
tember, October,  November  a7id  December 
1918. 

Union  Amicale  des  Fefiigres  Beiges 
2,000   francs. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Military    Hospital    for    soldiers    with    mental 
disorders. 
Cinema 
2,500  rancs. 

Gifts  for  Belgian  Soldiers 
Supported. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Boys'  Agricultural  Colony 

Clothing,  shower  baths. 
Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 
i^upplies 

Training  Center 

Games,   comforts,   phonograph. 


272 


APPENDIX 


St.    Louis    de    la 
Mulotiere  (S.  I.) 

St.  Lunaire    (Ille 
et  Vilaine)  : 

St.  Ouen  (S.  &  0.)  : 

St.  Paer  (S.  I.)  : 

St.  Pol: 

St.  Prix: 

St.  Vallier 
(Drome)  : 

St.  Valery-en- 
Caux   (S.  I.)  : 

Ste.  Aubin  Bran- 
ville  (S.  I.): 

Ste.  Aubin  Epinay 
(S.  I.): 

Ste.  Livrade: 

Ste.   Marguerite 
Varenge    (S.  I.)  : 

Sablon-St.   Livrade 
&  Tomebouc: 

Sarcelles  ( S.  &  0. )  : 

Sassetot : 

Saussay   (S.  I.)  : 

Sevres   (S.  &  0.)  : 

Test-Milon,  par 
Lain    (Yonne)  : 

Val   Briand 
(Drome)  : 

Valmont   (S.  L)  : 


Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Military  Hospital 
Supplies. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Refugee  Relief 
Sous-Pr^fet. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Hotel  des  Sapins 
Hotel  de  la  Terrasse 
Lavoliere 

Children's  Colony 

Food  supplies  and  clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Civilian  Hospital 
Supplies. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 


APPENDIX 


273 


Varengeville : 
Versailles  (S.  &  0.) 

Veulettes   (S.  I.)  : 

Villiers-le-Sec: 

Viroflay-le-Pecq 

(S.  &  O.)  : 

Wisques  (P.  de  C.)  : 
Wizernes  (P.  de  C.) 


Wormlioiit    ( Xord ) 
Yvetot    (S.  I.)  : 

Ix)ndon : 


Clothing,  sewing  machine. 
Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 

Clothing,  sewing  machine. 

Military  Hospital 

Medical  supplies,  games. 

Children's  Colony 
Clothing. 

Children's  Colony 

Food,  clothing,  and  financial  aid. 
Children's  Colony 

Monthly  subsidy  1000  francs  for  Wisques 

and  Wizernes. 

Money  for   removal   of  barracks  and  col- 
onies. 
Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 
Children's  Colony 

Clothing. 

Atelier   de   Taileur,   which   made   clothing   for 

Belgian  Eeform^s — 200  pounds. 
California  House,  82   Lancaster   Gate,  Recrea- 
tional   and    Study     Center    for    Soldiers, 

managed   by   Miss   Julia   Heyneman,    1000 

pounds     (27,180    francs)     and    later    5000 

francs. 
Clothing  for  Belgian  Destitute  Civilians 

Edmond   Carton  de  Wiart,   treasurer, 

200  pounds  September,  1918. 
Comite  Beige  du  Travail  d  Domicile 

27,000  francs  for  sewing  machines, 

January  1918. 
Comity  des  Visites  aux  Blesses  Beiges 

5000  francs,  March   1918. 
Doctors'  and  Pharmacists'  Fund   (Belgian) 

200  pounds  per  month  for  four  months 

beginning  September  1918. 
Relief  for  Belgians,  Prisoners  in  Germany 

5000  francs,  December  1918. 
Volksbureel  Belgische — Ahh4 

Christophe   de  Keyser,   manager 

200  pounds  July  1918. 
Volkhuis    (Belgian)    Abb6  R.  Ingelbeen, 

manager,  100  pounds  March  1918. 


274 


APPENDIX 


Katwijk-sur-mer 


Maastricht : 
Teteringen : 

Waspik : 
Goirle : 


Tlip   Hague : 


EOLLAT^D. 

Phalanstere 

Cares  for  Tuberculosis,  Belgian 
Reformes  in  their  homes 
10,000  francs  May  1918. 

Croix  Mauve  (Supervision  of  Belgian  children 
in   homes) — 10,000  francs,   June   1918. 

Tehuis  voor  Weezen  Verlatene  Belgische  Kin- 
deren.  Work  for  abandoned  children, 
5000  francs   June   1918. 

Belgian  Soldiers  Interned  in  Holland 

given   1000   pounds   montlily  from  August 
1918  to  January  1,  1919,  through  Belgian 
Central  Bureau  Prisoners  of  War  at  Ste. 
Adresse,  France. 
Ecole  Beige  d'Art  Domestiqtte 

2500  francs  May  1918. 
Home  des  Petits  Orphelins  de  la  Guerre 
2000  florins.     Also  2000  florins  to  be 
warded    to    Antwerp    for    "Lait    pour 
September   1918. 

-To    give    employment    to    refugee 
-5000  francs.  May  1918. 


for- 
les 


Petits'^ 
Ruche,    La- 

women- 
^onte  a  I'Enfance 

Brought    anaemic    children    from 

for  vacation,  25,000  francs.  June  1918. 


Belgium 


Fribourg: 

Leysin : 
Vaulruz : 
Lausanne ; 


SWITZERLAND 

Children's   Colonies. 

Villa  Guinzet 
The  New  Villa 
Villars  les  Jones 
Financial   aid. 

Colony  for  tubercular  children, 
Financial  aid. 

Industrial   School 
Financial  aid. 

Committee  Central   Suisse  for  Eefugees 
15,000  francs. 


APPENDIX  275 

APPENDIX  VI 

Decorations  and  Honors  given  by  the  King  and  Queen  of  the 
Belgians  and  Belgian  Institutions  to  the  personnel  of  The  American 
Red  Cross. 

Order  of  Leopold. 
Commander — Henry  P.  Davison 
Officer —  John  van  Schaick,  Jr. 

Order  of  the  Crown. 

Commander — Ernest  P.  Bicknell 
Officer —  H.  R.  Fairclough 

Chevalier —     Ernest  W.  Corn 

Leonard  Chester  Jones 

Ivy  L.  Lee 

J.  Wideman  Lee 

Edvrards  A.  Park. 

Order  of  Leopold  II. 
Alfred  Worcester. 

Medal  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 

Mrs.  Larz  Anderson 

Alberte  Bicknell 

Constance   Bicknell 

Mrs.  Ernest  P.  Bicknell 

Sarah  Boyle 

Katharine  Cox 

Ethel  Damon 

Martha  Hoover 

Dr.  Alma  Rotholz 

Mrs.  John  van  Schaick,  Jr. 

Miss  Mabel  Wilcox 

Medal  of  the  University  of  Brussels. 
John  van  Schaick,  Jr. 

Honorary  Degree,  Doctor  of  Medicine, 
University  of  Liege. 

John  van  Schaick,  Jr. 


INDEX 


Abbeville,  10,  17,  18. 
Accounting,  5,   13,   55. 
Adinkerke,   32,  59,   74. 
Advanced   Surgical   Stations,    74. 
Aide   Civile   Beige,   109. 
Albert,   Corporal,   255. 
Albert,  King  Albert,   13,  23,  24, 

29,  37,  38,  39,  71,  74,  206,  207, 

209,   215,   236,   241,   245. 
Ambulance      de      I'Ocean.        See 

Ocean  Hospital. 
Ambulance  Units,  American,  244. 
American  Army,  50,  241. 
American   Eed    Cross.      See    Red 

Cross. 
American  Relief  Clearing  House, 

2,  6. 
Appropriations,  251. 
Appui   Beige,    146. 
Armistice,   News  of,    211. 
Assistance  Discrete,  219. 
Assistance   Temporaire,   99. 
Authorities,  Joint  Action  of,  90. 
Aviators,  American,  241,  242. 

Babies,  Work  for.  12,  177,  180. 

Baetens,  Work  of  Madame,  219, 
255. 

Bassompierre,    Madame,    51. 

Battle  of  the  Mountain  of  Flan- 
ders, 72. 

Battle  of  Ypres-Armentieres,  89. 

Beatty,  H.  O.,  7. 

Belgian  Army  Hospitals.  77. 

Belgian  Decorations,  275. 

Belgian  Government,  9,  11,  16, 
22,  103,  145. 

Belgian  People,   60,  247. 

Belgian  Red  Cross.  See  Red 
Cross. 

Belgian  Soldiers,  Hardships  of, 
143. 


Belgians,  Fighting  Ability,  72, 
73,  199,  243. 

Belgium,  Free,  7,  11,  30,  31. 

Belgium,   Occupied,    6,   217,   232. 

Berryer,  Paul,  7,  9,  10,  14,  50, 
95,  98,  153,  200,  223,  246,  253. 

Beveren,  31,  77. 

Bombing,  34,  57,  109,  117,  119, 
121,  173. 

Bercail,  Le,  223. 

Bicknell,  Ernest  P.  Col.,  2,  3,  4, 
6,  7,  12,  34,  54,  55,  58,  61,  70, 
71,  97,  158,  161,  171,  275. 

Bicknell,  Mrs.  Ernest  P.,  46,  47, 
51,  99,  275. 

Bicknell,  Constance,  46,  139,  275. 

Bicknell,   Alberte,  46,   139,  275. 

Biebuyck,  Albert,  11,  135. 

Boitshoucke,  Children  at,  111. 

Bourbourg,  Hospital,  77. 

Boy  Scouts,  222. 

Braekers,  J.,   255. 

British  Gifts  for  Belgian  Sol- 
diers,  147. 

British  Monitors,  35. 

British  Attitude  to  Civilians,  92. 

British  Red  Cross  Society,  71,  91, 
165. 

British  Army,  31. 

Bruges,  49,  74. 

Bruges,  Entry  of  King,  207. 

Bruges,  Headquarters  at,  206, 
208. 

Brunet,  Minister,  146,  246. 

Brussels,  45,  49,  213,  215. 

Brussels,  Liberation  of,  214. 

Budgets,  49. 

Buying,   13,  55. 


Cabour,  Hospital,  59,   77. 
Calais,  5,  10,  77,  109. 
Cadbury,  L.  J.,  256. 


277 


278 


INDEX 


Calmette,   Dr.,   On   Tuberculosis, 

188. 
Camions.     See  Transportation. 
Cannes    Confei-ence,    188. 
Canteens,   142,   146,   148,  251. 
Carton  de  Wiart,   Count  Henry, 

20. 
Carton      de      Wiart,       Countess 

Henry,  9,  10,  12,  98,  117,  124, 

126,    130,    133,   193,   254. 
Cassel,  88. 

Catholic  Party,  9,   17,  104. 
Caudebee,   8. 

Centers  of  Recreation,  146,  149. 
Child  Saving,  102,  112,  137,  222, 

223,  224,  251. 
Children,    From   Occupied    Coun- 
try, 133,  137. 
Children,   Under   Fire,    111,    116, 

122,    125,    126,    129,    130,    131, 

136. 
Children's  Colonies,  7,  8,  9,  102. 
Children's  Colonies  at  Front,  110, 

136. 
Children's  Colonies  of  the  Queen, 

136. 
Children's  Dugout,   112. 
Citations  for  Red  Cross  Medals, 

253. 
Civil  Hospitals,  78,  151,  220,  251. 
Civil  Hospitals,  French,  151,  154. 
Civilians  in  Armv  Areas,  11,  12, 

32,  92,   115,   151. 
Civilians  Mutilated,   197. 
Claes,  Professor  Ernest,  95,  256. 
Clark.  Dr.  Hilda,   159. 
Clemenceau,  37,  44. 
Closing  Up,  246. 
Commission  to  Europe,  1,  46. 
Comite    National,     6,     49,     186, 

203,   218. 
Comite  Officiel  Beige,  95,  98. 
Conge  du  Soldat  Beige,  146. 
Congestion,    18,   93,   99. 
Cooperation    with    Belgians,    14, 

54. 
Corn,  Captain  Ernest  W.,  47,  95, 

97,  206,  275. 
Corner  Never  Conquered,  The,  7, 

11,  30,  31,   135. 


Courtrai,  Hospital  at,  175. 
Cows,  8,  72,  76,   105,  118. 
Coxyde,   Civil   Hospital,   78. 
C.  R.  B.,  218,  236. 
Crfeche  Nord  Est,  223. 
Creche  Beige,   223. 

Daly,   R.  J.,  4. 
Damon,  Ethel,  47,  275. 
Davison,  Henry  P.,  50,  162,  206, 

209,  210,  246,  275. 
De    Broqueville,    Baron,    18,    19, 

146. 
Decentralized  Government,  103. 
De    Ceuninck,    General,     17,    77, " 

246. 
Decorations,  206,  209,  275. 
Delaere,  Abb6,   106,    120. 
Delrez,  Dr.   Louis,   230. 
De   Mot,   Madame    Jean,   51,   65, 

225. 
Depage,  Dr.  A.,  34,  62,  64,  70,  73, 

75,  135.  191,  196,  206,  248,  253. 
Depage,  Marie,  63. 
Department   of    Social   and   Eco- 
nomic  Conditions,   7,   161. 
Department  for  Belgium,  13,  15. 
Derache,  Dr.,  78. 
D'leteren,      Madame      Gabrielle, 

256. 
Doctors,    Scarcity   of,    152. 
Dressmaker,  Story  of,  210. 
Duclot,  Lieutenant,   256. 
Dunkirk,   10,   57,   111,   165,   167, 

241. 
d'Ursel,  Countess  Louise,  221. 

Education  in  Belgium,  104,   137. 
Educational  Value  of  the  Work, 

181. 
Elizabeth,  Queen  of  the  Belgians, 

37.  38,  39,  62.  71,  74.  78,  135, 

186,    190,    201,    206,    216,    225, 

2.53. 
El  Paso  Chapter,  Work  of,   105, 

113. 
Empain,   iSenator,   103. 
Endicott,    William,   4. 
Enfants  du  Peuple,  223. 
Enfants   Martyrs,    223. 


INDEX 


279 


England,   Work    in,   7,    197,   273. 
Entry  of  King,  207,  215. 

Famille  du  Soldat  Beige,  98. 
Farm,  Belgian  Bed  Cross,  72,  76. 
Farrand,  Dr.  Livingston,  6,  184f, 

187. 
Fear,    Effect    on    Children,    110, 

121,  123. 
Fighting  Men,  Work  for,   140. 
Feeding,  Training  in,  181. 
Flanders,   11,  23,  30,  31. 
Flower  Gardens.   43,    136. 
Folks,  Homer,  6,  83,  102,  162. 
Fonds  du  Roi  Albert,  99,  100. 
Food  Supplies,  61,  174,  203,  212. 
Foyer  du  Soldat  Beige,  146. 
Foyer    des    Orphelins,   223. 
France,  Work  in,  265. 
Francqui,  Emile,   186.   218. 
Freeman,   Dr.   Rowland   G.,    104, 

180. 
French  Army,  31. 
French  Civilians,  159. 
French  Generosity,  94. 
French   Red   Cross   Society.      See 

Red  Cross. 
French,  Sir  John,  24. 
French,  Red  Cross,  71. 
Friends'  Ambulance  Unit,  57,  61, 

90,  154,  157,  165. 
Friends,  American,  2,  162. 
Friends,  English,  160,  161. 
Friends,     War     Victims     Relief 

Committee,   4,    157. 
Frontier.   Escaping  Over,  229. 
Frv.  Marjorie,   159. 
Furnes,  11,  12,  77,  110. 
Fyffe,  Georgia,   102,    112,   135. 

Gas  Victims.  175. 
German  Advance,  87.  88. 
German   Graves   in   France,    161. 
Germans.  Contact  with  the,  213. 
Ghent,  Work  for,  224. 
Client,  Liberation  of,  211. 
Gibson,   Colonel  Harvev  D.,  200. 

209,  246. 
Gifts    for    Belgian    Soldiers,    74, 

79,   146,   147. 


Glaenzer,  Mademoiselle,  146,  147. 
Goblet,  d'Alviella,  Count,  19,  95. 
Goblet,  d'Alviella,  Countess,  51. 
Goblet,  Countess  H6l&ne,  20,  51. 
Gratitude  of  Belgians,  246. 
Graux,  Captain  Charles,  66,  138, 

208,  223,  257. 
Guest,  Mrs.  Haden,   102,  139. 
Gummere,    Lieutenant    John   W., 

48,  60,  215. 

Hanssens,  Maurice,  66,  69. 
Headquarters,  46. 
Heger,  Dr.  Paul,  229,  246. 
Heileputte,  Minister,  19,  95,  194, 

246,  257. 
Heileputte,  Madame  Louise,  98. 
Holemans,  Dr.,  224. 
Holland,  Work  in,  7,  274. 
Hoogstade,  Hospital  of,  31,  77. 
Hoover,   Herbert,  6,  21,  82,   102, 

137,    161,    177,    186,   212,    218, 

246. 
Hopyards,  37. 
Hopital     Alexandra,     153,     154, 

169,  172. 
Hopital  Elizabeth,  32. 
Hospitals,  Welfare  Work,   4,  43, 

51,  79,  225. 
Hospitals,  Work  for,  62,  74,  79, 

151. 
Housing,  Problem  of,  99,  220. 
Housing  of  Soldiers,  145. 
Houthem,  31. 
Houthulst    Forest,     72,    74,    79, 

148,  199. 
Hunt,  Edward  Eyre,  7. 
Hutchinson,  Dr.  Woods,  177. 
Hymans,  Paul,   19,   199. 
Hymans,  Madame  Paul,  51,  146, 

'l49,  225,  253. 

Iseghem,  Liberation  of,  203. 

Janssen,  Dr.  Carl,  202,  213. 
Jones,  Captain  Leonard  Chester, 

47,  275. 
Jones,  Rufus  M.,  162,  164. 
Jonlet,  Dr.,  257. 
Joostens,  Madame,  72. 


280 


INDEX 


Journalists,  Needy  Belgian,  218. 

Kemmel,  Mt.,  89,  243. 
King  Albert.     See  Albert. 
Knox,  Dr.  J.  H.  Mason,  178. 

Lace  Makers,  221. 

La    Calvaire,     Cancer    Work    of, 

220. 
La    Chartreuse,     Belgian    Refuge 

at,    119,    155,   209,   258. 
Lambert,  Alexander,  Dr.,  15,  68. 
La  Panne,   5,   7,   11,    12,   30,  31, 

34,   36.   58,   63,    148,   201,   202, 

206,  208,  209. 

League    of    Red    Cross    Societies, 

188,  190. 
Lee,  Major  Ivy  L.,  50,  275. 
Lee,  Major  J.  Wideman,  47,  71, 

75,  206,  207,  275. 
Leeds,   Morris,    2,    158. 
Le  Glandier,  Queen's  Colony  at, 

138 
Le  Havre,  5,  7,  8,  10,  16,  18,  40, 

56,  75,  93,  99,  178,  236. 
Le  Havre,  Belgian  Military  Hos- 
pital  at,   51,   77. 
Les   Petites    Roses    de   la   Reine, 

2S2. 
Leysele,     Children's     Colony     at, 

110. 
Leysele,  Hospital  of,  153. 
Liberal  Party,    17,   104. 
Liberated    Areas,    91,    174,    203, 

207,  211. 
Library  Service,   148. 
Li&ge,  Work  for,  223. 

Life    Under    German    Rule,     10, 

127,  133. 
Livre  du   Soldat  Beige,   148. 
Looking  Ahead,  56,  76. 

Maes,  M.  Jean,  57. 
Malaise,  Colony  of,  8. 
Masson,   Story  of  Minister,   226. 
Maternity    Hospitals,    153,    154, 

179. 
Max,  Burgomaster,  214,  228,  237. 
McCullough,    Major    Ernest,     4, 

158. 


Medals,    Belgian,    275. 
Medals,  Red  Cross,  230,  253. 
Medical   Education,   229. 
Melis,    General,    66,    70,    77,    78, 

190,  206,  254. 
Mercier,  Cardinal,  228,  232,  254. 
Military  Relief,. Cost  of,  251. 
Militarization  of  Red  Cross,  66. 
Moral    Value    of    Free    Belgium, 

135. 
Mordey,  Major  W.,  58,  109,  170, 

175,  258. 
Mulvey,  Lieut.  Francis  de  Sales, 

46. 
Munition  Workers,   112,   142. 
Murphy,  Colonel  Grayson  M.  P., 

1,  3,   13,  162. 
Mutilated,  The,    192. 

Newman,    Sir   George,    165,    168. 
Nieuport,   25,   26,   30,   44. 
Ninety-first  Division,  244. 
Nolf,  Colonel  Pierre,  58,  78,  135. 

231    258 
Nuns,'  8,    12,   62,    106,    109,   115, 

155,  175. 
Nurse's  Aids,  52,  65,  73,  156. 
Nurses'  Home,   225. 

Ocean  Hospital,  32,  58,  62,  142, 

202,  241. 
Olbrecht,  M.,  8,  9,   103. 
Osborne,  Major,  C.  G.,  4,  5. 
Osborne,  Mrs.  John  Ball,  51. 
Ostend,  Entry  Into,  206. 
Ouville   I'Abbaye,    Colony   at,    8. 

Paris  Office,  A.  R.  C,  13,  51,  59, 

74,  91,  143,  176,  241. 
Park,  Major  Edwards  A.,  47,  73, 

139,   155,  177. 
Perkins,   Colonel  Jas.   H.,   4,  50, 

71. 
Personnel,  Names  of,  249,  250. 
Personnel,   Scarcity   of,   46,    153, 

156. 
Pierce,  Major  Daniel  T.,  71. 
Poullet,    Minister,    19. 
Poupaert,  Private,   258. 
Places  Helped,  List  of,  260. 


INDEX 


281 


Policies.       See     American     Red 

Cross. 
Poperinghe,  37,  91,  174. 
Port  Villez,  School  of,  194. 
Principles  of  Relief  Work,  2,  3, 

13,  14,  17,  54. 
Principles  of  Tuberculosis  Work, 

187. 
Prisoners  of  War,  Return  of,  226. 

Quakers.      See   Friends. 

Quaker  Foundations  for  Our 
Work,   157. 

Queen  of  the  Belgians.  See  Eliz- 
abeth. 

Queen's  Purse,  135. 

Railheads,   Work   at,   86,   90,   91, 

174. 
Ramsey,  Dr.,  178. 
Recques,    Children's    Colony    of, 

109,  209. 
Red   Cross,   Belgian,    65,   66,   69, 

70,  76,  78,   197,  224. 
Red   Cross   Policy,    American,   3, 

83,  86,  97,   141,  224,  247. 
Reeducation   of  Mutilated,    192. 
Refugees,   The  Military  Problem 

of,  83,  84,  151. 
Refugees,   From   Occupied   Coun- 
try, 91. 
Refugees,  General  Discussion  of, 

81,   97. 
Refugees,   In   Exile,   93. 
Refugees,  Policy  in  Handling,  98. 
Refugees,  In  Flight,  85. 
Refugees,      Appropriations      for, 

251. 
Renkin,   Jules,   20. 
Renkin,   Madame   Jules,   51. 
Retreat,  Great  G«rman,  202. 
Rhineland,  Life  in  the,  150. 
Rockefeller     Foundation,     2,     6, 

184,   187,  229. 
Rolin     Hymans,     Madame,     112, 

257. 
Roscam,    Dr.    Jacques,   230,    259. 
Rotholz,   Dr.   Alma,   73,    139. 
Rouen,   8,    178.   196. 
Rousbrugge,  31,  90,  153. 


Rucquoy,  General,   32,    111,   236. 
Rupprecht,  Crown  Prince,  26,  29. 

Ste.  Adresse,  7,  9,  16,  194. 

Salle  Franklin,  The,  179. 

Saussay,  Colony  of,  8. 

Scattergood,  Henry,  2,   158,   162. 

Schoolmaster,   Story  of,   205. 

Scliool  Teacliers,  Destitute  Pub- 
lic,  225. 

Seaplane   Base,   American,    241. 

Secours   Urgent,   221. 

Secours  aux   Infortunes,   219. 

Self   Respect,   Belgian,   21,   246. 

Service  de  Sante,  Belgian,  66,  70. 

Sewing  Machines,  106,   115,   118. 

Shelling,  34,  201. 

Sites,    Difficulty   in    Getting,   59. 

Smith,  Capt.  Philip  Horton,  47, 
59. 

Socialist   Party,    17,   104,    141. 

Soldier   Welfare  Work,    140. 

Spectacle  of  War,  34,  64,  158. 

Speed  Necessary,  75. 

Stevaert,  Jean,  11,  110,  1.35,  259. 

Sto'efs,   Corporal,   148,   258. 

Stores.     See  Warehouses. 

Stories  about  Children,  113. 

Stories  by  Children,   124. 

Students 'in  Army,    148,   229. 

Supplies    for   Hospitals,    79. 

Supplies  from  United  States,  74. 

Surgery,   Remarkable,    230. 

Switzerland,   Work   in,   274. 

Tatham,   Captain  Meaburn,    170, 

173,   259. 
Taylor,   Major   Carl,    4,   5. 
Tents,  74,  147. 
Termonde,  Housing  for,   220. 
Thielt,    Civil    Hospital    of,    220. 
Thirtieth  Division,  The,   243. 
Thirty-seventh      Division,      The, 

244. 
Toys,   12,    13,    105. 
Transportation,    13,    55,    75,    90, 

171. 
Trenches,   German,  202. 
Tributes  to  Work,  247. 


282 


INDEX 


Tuberculosis,   76,    152,    154,    184, 

226. 
Twenty-seventh     Division,      The, 

243. 
Typhoid,  111,  152,  177. 

Universities,  Reopening  of,   228, 

Van    den    Steen,    Countess,    120, 

153,  201,   221,  223. 
Vandervelde,   Emile,    17,   74,   98, 

141,    146,    199,   206,    211,   213, 

223,    246,    254. 
Vandevyvere,     A.,     Minister     of 

Finance,  14,  21,  56,   199,  202, 

220. 
van  Schaick,  John  Jr.,  4,  275. 
van   Schaick,  Mrs.   John   Jr.,   4, 

51,  131,  275. 
Vincent,  Remy,  260. 


Vinckem,  Hospital  of,  31,   72. 
Village    for    Refugees,    99. 
Vital  Statistics,   252. 
von  Bisthoven,  Janssens,  11,  207. 

Wadsworth,   Eliot,  50. 
War   Council,   The,   13,   143. 
Warehouses,   12,   57,   60,   74,   89, 

174. 
Welfare  Organizations,  The,  141. 
Whitlock,  Brand,   9,    10,  21,   23, 

235. 
Whitlock,   Mrs.    Brand,   51,   236. 
Wilcox,  Mabel,  47,    179,  275. 
Willems,   Dr.,   78. 
Wisques,  Chateau  of,  106. 
Wizernes,   Colony   of,    106. 

Yser,  Battle  of,  23. 

Ypres,  31,  37,  89,  106,  107,  131. 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


3  1205  00401  2488 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA      000  295  432    9 


